Race to the Edge
by Serenity Dragonrider
Summary: Here's my version of the latest sereies. It's all the episodes set in an alternitive universe. I have added my characters to it. Hope you all like it.
1. Dragon Eye of the Beholder Pt 1

**Race to the Edge**

 **Dragon Eye of the Beholder Pt.1**

The little Isle of Berk sat in the middle of the ocean under bright sunlight. Vikings and dragons were bustling about putting up new additional updates to the village, making it more comfortable for both humans and dragons alike. One of the recent updates that was still being built; was a huge hanger for the dragons to sleep in at their leisure. Among the villagers were five of Berk's finest dragon riders. They had worked together when Berk was under attack by wild dragons and Berserkers. Berk was thriving in the aftermath of the war. They had a very healthy alliance with the king and queen of the dragons, who lived in the Dragons' homeland, Draconia. With such a powerful nation for an ally Berk couldn't be more safe.

Out over the ocean was Berk's very first dragon rider, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. He rode through the clouds on his Night Fury, Toothless. The dragon was Hiccup's very first friend, and one of his most loyal. They had so much in common, one thing in particular was that they were both missing limbs; Toothless was missing his left tail fin, and Hiccup was missing his left leg.

At the moment they were practicing new tricks. Hiccup steered Toothless higher into the sky, making him go as high as possible. They just cleared the cloud line, when suddenly Hiccup's safety straps unhooked themselves from the saddle. Hiccup slipped off the saddle and fell back towards the ocean. Toothless dived after him. They both fell for several feet before Toothless managed to get under his rider and catch him on is back.

"Thanks bud," Hiccup said as he strapped himself back in. "I definitely need to get my own pair of wings." Toothless looked at him confused. How was Hiccup supposed to get his own wings? He was human, and humans didn't have wings. Hiccup steered Toothless back towards the village.

As he flew over, he saw his fellow riders. With no Berserkers to fight and no new dragons to train, the Dragon Riders had found other things to keep them occupied. Snotlout was now working in the armory with Gobber, the twins: Ruffnut and Tuffnut spent most of their time pranking everyone, and Fishlegs was busy teaching the younger vikings about dragons. Hiccup was the only one with free time, and spent most of it exploring the Archipelago in search of new dragons. But recently Hiccup hadn't seen any new dragons, just the old ones. He refused to give up however, he knew there were more dragons out there somewhere.

He clicked the stirrup, which operated Toothless's red tail fin. The dragon sped up, leaving Berk far behind. Suddenly Astrid and her Deadly Nadder Stormfly pulled up along side. Hiccup was happy to see her as always.

"Hiccup, I've been following you since the armory," Astrid said. "I want to tell you something." But Hiccup was too excited to listen, he looked through his spyglass and scanned the horizon.

"Hey! I think I saw movement up ahead," he said.

"Hiccup can we talk?" Astrid asked. Hiccup ignored her and made Toothless go faster. He steered him towards the sea stack where he thought he spotted a new dragon. But as it turned out, it was only the Twins pulling off another prank.

Disappointed Hiccup flew off and landed on a different sea stack. He dismounted and sat on the edge. Toothless laid beside him, wormed his head under Hiccup's arm and purred. Moments later Astrid and Stormfly landed near them. Astrid dismounted and approached Hiccup. He looked pretty downhearted, and she could guess why.

"Hiccup you've explored the whole Archipelago twice," she said. "And we haven't seen a new dragon in years."

"That can't be all there is," Hiccup said.

"But what if it is?" said Astrid. "What if we're done? I've given this a lot of thought Hiccup, and Sromfly and I are joining the Berk guard." Hiccup looked at her a bit surprised.

"You're serious?" he said.

"It's time to think about what's next," said Astrid. "Maybe you should find out what's next for you." Hiccup got to his feet. They were about to mount their dragons, when they heard a loud familiar screech. They began looking around for the source of the sound.

"That sounded like a Night Fury," said Astrid. Toothless beamed up at this and let out his own calls. Then a fast, dark dragon shot passed the sea stack heading in the direction of Berk. Astrid and Hiccup quickly mounted their dragons and took off after it. Toothless let out another call, and it was answered. It seemed to be right ahead of them. Toothless sped up, Stormfly followed. They spotted the black dragon flying straight ahead. It wasn't flying very fast and they caught up to it easily, and could now see something on its back.

"Hey Night Fury!" Stormfly called. The dragon looked over his wing, and they suddenly recognized him.

"Tenor!" Hiccup called.

Tenor was a hybrid dragon, the rarest hybrid dragon in the world. He was half Night Fury and half Blackfang dragon. He was as tall as an Arabian stallion; with the glossy black scales, body, wings, fins, sonar flaps and eyes of a Night Fury. In addition he had a narrow head, squarish forehead, long wolf-shaped legs, sharp talons, a long muscular neck, and in his mouth was a set of razor sharp teeth that were so poisonous they were solid black. His teeth could be retracted, yet another Night Fury characteristic. He wore black armor, with a head plate that doubled as his crown. On the head plate was his personal crest, a silver crescent moon surrounded by silver stars. Tenor was fast, powerful, stealthy, young, noble, cocky, and very clever. He worked with the Dragon King and Queen to run the Dragons' homeland. The other dragons knew him as the Prime Minister. He listened to the many problems of the dragons and passed them along to the King and Queen, and helped them come up with a solution.

Tenor beamed as he slowed and the other two dragons pulled alongside him.

"I thought I recognized you two lovebirds," Tenor said. "Out for a romantic flight?"

"Not really," Hiccup said. "We're looking for new species of dragons. But we haven't found any in years."

"Exactly how hard have you been looking?" Tenor asked. "There are many different dragons out there."

"What are you doing out here Tenor?" Astrid asked.

"We're just traveling," Tenor said.

"We?" asked Hiccup, looking around for his two comrades. Tenor looked over his wing at the thing on his back. Now they could see that the young Dragon Healer, Serenity, was laid on her back fast asleep, her head resting on her trusted her trusted medical and her black cowboy hat was pulled over her eyes. Toothless and Stormfly both beamed.

Serenity was a beautiful young woman that lived with dragons. She had been cast out of her family when she was five years old. She was raised by a red and orange dragon named Ruby, who was more a father to her than a friend. She had a beautiful round face, emerald green eyes, and light golden brown hair. On her right cheek was a thin, almost invisible scar where she had been struck with a shovel when she was cast out. She wore a green shirt, blue leather jacket and trousers, black leather fingerless gloves, brown leather boots with blue and green embroidery around the top. Her cowboy hat was covered in black dragon scales. Serenity was a woman of many talents. In addition to being an excellent dragon healer; she could cook, garden, sew, knit, and sing. She was the only human in the entire world who could actually talk to dragons, speaking in their tongue. As a result every dragon she met had no trouble trusting her. The dragons she lived with treasured her more than all the gold in the world, she was practically a daughter to them.

Tenor smiled and nudged her. She stirred and sat up.

"What is it Tenor?" she yawned. She straightened her hat and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"We have company," Tenor said. When Serenity saw what he was talking about, she smiled.

"Hi Serenity," said Astrid. "Sorry to wake you."

"That's ok," Serenity said. "I probably was about to wake up anyway."

"How long have you been traveling?" asked Hiccup.

"We've lost count," Tenor said. "Must have been weeks. We just arrived here."

"Where are you staying?" asked Astrid. Serenity stretched her arms and legs.

"I have many friends up here," she said.

"You can stay on Berk and resupply," Hiccup suggested. Serenity leaned forward and patted Tenor's neck.

"What do you say Tenor?" she asked. "You want to visit Berk?"

"Ah, sure," Tenor said. "I could use a few days rest."

"Follow us," said Hiccup. He opened Toothless's tail fin and he sped up. Serenity clicked the reins and Tenor followed.

Soon they landed in the plaza and the three riders dismounted. Toothless nuzzled Serenity's shoulder, happy to see her again. Then he licked her face. She laughed.

"Hello handsome," she said. "It's nice to see you too." Toothless purred at the complement. She scratched him behind his ears, and he purred louder. The other dragons soon joined them.

"Tenor, my father's in our house if you want to let him know you're here," Hiccup said.

"Ok, thank you," Tenor said. "Serenity, you think you'll be ok out here?"

"Yes sir," Serenity said.

"You don't have to worry Prime Minister," Stormfly said. "No harm will come to her here." Tenor nodded once then headed up to the big house on the hill.

When he and Hiccup got there, Hiccup opened the door and Tenor followed him inside. Chief Stoic the Vast was sitting at his table picking at his food. He looked up when the door opened.

"Ah, hello Tenor," he said. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Hello Stoic," Tenor said, he sat on his haunches. "Serenity and I are out traveling. We were passing this way, and decided to stop by for a few days to rest and resupply."

"Oh, please be my gusts," Stoic said. "It's always a pleasure to have our esteemed allies visit us." Tenor gave a grateful nod. He turned to go when the door opened again, and in came the Twins supporting a half-conscious Trader Johann. Tenor immediately leaped aside. Stoic jumped up.

"Johann are you alright?" he asked. "What happened?" Johann took a few moments to catch his breath before he spoke.

"Dagur," he finally managed to say. They all became alert.

"What about Dagur?" asked Hiccup.

"He's out," Johann said. "He escaped, and you're high on his list of people to take revenge on."

"Sit down tell us as much as you can," said Stoic. The Twins all but dragged Johann to a nearby chair. Johann told them all what happened.

Apparently Dagur had commandeered Johann's ship and left him for dead. He was stranded in the middle of the ocean until the Twins picked him up. Shortly after he said all this, Johann passed out. Stoic turned to his son.

"We need to get Dagur back into jail," he said.

"I am right on it Dad," Hiccup assured him, then he turned to Tenor. "Will you help us Tenor." Tenor snorted slightly.

"Gladly," he said without a second thought. "Provided I can find a safe place for Serenity. You know she's no fighter, and I don't want her to get hurt."

"What about your comrades?" asked Stoic.

"My king is preoccupied by a wall he's building around our waters," Tenor explained. "He and Aurora don't want to go anywhere until it's finished. But you've still got me, and all I have to do is keep Serenity safe."

"Well, she'll be safe here," Stoic said. "You won't have to worry about her."

"Very well," Tenor said. "Let's get started."

Hiccup gathered up his fellow riders and went to the arena. He pulled out a map of the whole Archipelago. Tenor was among them. He left Serenity under the Golden Apple Tree she grew in her early years on Berk. Hiccup brought everyone up to speed.

"Johann said his ship was commandeered by Dagur here," he said, pointing to a spot on the map. "We need to find him and get him back behind bars. Tenor has graciously agreed to help us." Fishlegs seemed to like this news.

"Yeah! we have the rarest, most dangerous dragon in the world on our side," he exclaimed, throwing his arms around Tenor's neck. Tenor snorted disgustedly.

"Get off me fishy fingers!" he snapped, shoving Fishlegs off him. Tenor looked at the map. He saw a ring of clouds drawn around the Archipelago.

"What's this for?" he asked.

"That's the edge of the Archipelago," Hiccup said. "No one's ventured passed it."

"Really why?" Tenor asked. But at that moment Johann came up to them.

"Johann! Are you alright?" asked Hiccup.

"Yes Master Hiccup," said Johann. "Dagur stole my ship and he has access to a rare map that leads to a graveyard of ships just beyond the fog. I store all my treasures there."

"If we go there we have a chance to catch Dagur," Hiccup said.

"I must warn you Hiccup," Johann said. "There is a ship there you must avoid. It's loaded with booby traps, it's called the Reaper."

"Tenor will you come?" asked Hiccup.

"Yes," said Tenor. "But first I must tell Serenity where I'm going. I don't want her to find me missing and think I've abandoned her. I'll be right with you." He turned and cantered out of the arena. He spread his wings and flew up to the apple tree. Serenity was sitting in the shade of the apple tree with all the dragons around her. She looked up when he landed.

"Serenity, Hiccup has asked me to join him and his riders on a manhunt for Dagur," Tenor explained. "He's loose and I wish to help catch him."

"What? No," Serenity said, jumping to her feet. "Please don't go." Tenor lowered his head to her level.

"Hey, I'll come back," he said softly. "It'll be okay." He gently nuzzled her cheek. Serenity hugged his head. Then Tenor turned to the other dragons.

"You should meet your riders in the plaza," he said. Toothless led the way down to the plaza. Tenor turned back to his rider.

"You can come see us off," he said. Serenity mounted him and rode him down to the plaza. Hiccup was just getting through telling Stoic his plan. Tenor joined them and Serenity dismounted.

"You going with them?" Stoic asked Tenor. The dragon gave a quick nod.

"They'll need cover fire, doesn't matter how much they deny it," he said. The riders mounted their dragons.

"Take me with you," Serenity all but begged.

"No," Tenor said sternly. "It's too dangerous. You stay here where it's safe. I'm coming back I assure you." Serenity thew her arms around his neck, burying her face in his scaly chest.

"You better come back," she said. "I can't bare to lose another friend."

"I understand," Tenor said, gently. He pulled back, gave her cheek a quick lick, and followed the other riders out over the ocean.

It took all day to reach the location. Hiccup followed a map provided by Johann. Tenor flew slightly above their formation. It had been a while since the riders all flew together. Hiccup killed time by testing their memory. Tenor was quite impressed. Soon they reached the ship graveyard. It was night fall and both Tenor and Toothless were nearly invisible. Everyone kept their eyes open for Dagur. They landed on a floating ship.

"No sign of Dagur," said Astrid.

"Looks like we got here first," said Hiccup.

"Now what do we do?" asked Snotlout.

"We wait here for Dagur to show up," said Hiccup.

"How long do we have to wait here?" Fishlegs wanted to know. "It could take a long time for Dagur to get here."

"He's got a point," said Astrid."We can't wait here forever."

"Well we can't let Dagur get his hands on Johann's treasures," said Hiccup.

"Or he'll use the profit to build a new armada," said Astrid. Hiccup considered.

"Say Tenor, how big is Re's armada?" he asked.

"Re doesn't have armadas," Tenor said. "He has squadrons, and they are very big."

"How about we just get Johann's stuff and take it back to Berk?" Ruffnut suggested. Hiccup felt the torch light up in his head.

"I like it," he said. "We'll split up and gather up all we can find. And we have to keep our eyes out for Dagur, he could show up at anytime." Suddenly they heard slithering sounds coming from the water and huge eels leaped out of the water, letting out loud screams. The dragons became afraid.

"Stay close to your dragons, so they don't get spooked and fly off," Hiccup called. But no sooner had he said this than all the dragons bolted to the sky, except for Toothless and Tenor. Then the eels wrapped themselves around the ship and began pulling it into the water. The deck tilted causing everyone to fall towards the vicious eels. Tenor took off, and Hiccup followed on Toothless. Snotlout managed to snag the mast. Fishlegs snagged his foot, Ruff and Tuff snagged his foot, and Astrid tried to grab Tuff's foot but she slipped and fell into the water. Hiccup immediately dove Toothless in after her, while Tenor fought off the eels. Toothless swam through the water and Hiccup grabbed Astrid. They flew her to safety while Tenor got the others. They landed on a different ship nearby.

"We have no time to loose," Hiccup said. "We need to get Johann's stuff." Then he looked at a ship nearby that looked very different from the others. It was bigger, and had three separate hauls. Hiccup read the name on the side of the ship; The Reaper.

"Hiccup why are you looking at that ship?" Astrid asked, a bit worried.

"I was thinking about what Johann said," Hiccup replied. "That ship is heavily booby trapped. There must be something in there that they don't want people to find, and I'm going to find out. Will you come too Tenor?"

"Why not," Tenor said causally, with a shrug.

So while the other riders and dragons went to the various ships; Hiccup, Toothless, and Tenor landed on the deck of the Reaper. Both dragons grew tense. They made their way over to the hatch.

"How about we see what's down there bud?" he said. Toothless growled. Hiccup just shrugged.

"Alright, looks like I'm going alone," he said. He took one step towards the hatch, when a rope tightened around his metal leg and yanked him towards the side. Toothless shot a plasma blast and the rope broke. Hiccup got to his feet and looked over the side.

"Ok, no one goes through that much trouble unless they're hiding something," he said. He went back to the hatch and opened it. He descended the ladder very carefully. Tenor and Toothless watched and waited. When Hiccup got to the bottom and set foot on the ground, a snare trap snapped shut on his metal leg. Toothless and Tenor jumped down to join him.

"One of the benefits of having a metal leg," Hiccup said, as he pried his leg free. Then the three of them made their way through the ship, treading lightly. They entered a wide corridor with cages on either side of it. Inside the cages were dragon skeletons. Toothless moaned sadly, disturbed by what he saw.

"I'm sorry you had to see that bud," Hiccup said sympathetically. "Whoever owned this ship was no friend of dragons."

"Well that narrows it down," Tenor said sarcastically. They made their way down the corridor. Suddenly Hiccup stepped on a spot on the floor, which caused several crossbows on the wall to start shooting at them. Hiccup blocked them with his special shield, and Tenor was protected by his armor. They ran down the corridor and round a corner. The firing soon subsided. The three of them took a second to catch their breath. Then Hiccup spotted a door, with fancy gold dragon embroidery all over it.

"Commander's quarters," Hiccup said, reading a plaque on the door. They slowly approached the door. Hiccup turned to the two dragons.

"Okay, here's the plan," he said, but before he could finish Toothless blasted the door to splinters.

"I like yours better," Hiccup said. They went through the doorway and into the office. It was very quiet. Sitting in the middle of the room was a desk and a chair. A suit of armor was sitting in the chair, with a Monstrous Nightmare skull hooked onto the back. More dragon skulls lined the top of the wall. Sitting on the desk was a curious cylinder, made of wood, stone, and metal. Hiccup walked up to it, and removed the skeletal hand off it. He got a better look at the thing. It had markings in the shapes of dragons on the side. Hiccup suspected it was a spyglass of some sort.

"I don't know what this is," he said. "But if it's on this ship it's no good for dragons, which means we're not leaving it here for Dagur." Hiccup carefully grabbed the cylinder and removed it from the desk. He waited for something to happen. Then suddenly a big ax landed blade down in the deck.

"Giant ax" he said startled. "Run!" He and the dragons bolted for the exit, triggering more booby traps. They reached the hatch in no time. Tenor flew out first and took right to the sky. Up in the air he saw that Dagur and his followers had arrived and had captured the other riders. Hiccup and Toothless emerged. Tenor watched and listened to Dagur gloat nonstop. He demanded the cylinder. Tenor stayed at a safe place, choosing his next moves carefully. Then he went off to get the other dragons.

"You're choice Hiccup," Dagur taunted. "Hand over that thing, and I'll spare your friends." Hiccup considered. Toothless opened his mouth to shoot Dagur.

"Whoa, easy Toothless," Hiccup said. "Not yet." Toothless closed his mouth obediently. Hiccup handed over the cylinder. Dagur snatched it and his cronies escaped over the side of The Reaper. They boarded the stolen ship they got from Johann and pushed it out to sea. Hiccup ran to the cage that held his friends.

"Forget us," Astrid said. "Go get Dagur." Hiccup looked at her, confused. He hesitated for a moment. Then he reluctantly left the cage and mounted Toothless. They took off and went after Dagur. They launched a boulder at them, but Toothless dodged it easily.

"You missed," Hiccup shouted.

"Hiccup, you should know by now that I never miss," Dagur sneered. Then Hiccup realized with horror that the boulder was aimed at The Reaper. It smashed through the deck and the ship began to sink. Hiccup looked between Dagur and The Reaper. He had to chose between catching Dagur, or saving his friends.


	2. Dragon Eye of the Beholder Pt 2

**Dragon Eye of the Beholder Pt. 2**

Hiccup glanced between the escaping Dagur and the sinking Reaper. Tenor and the other dragons were no where in sight. The other riders were practically clawing at the bars of their cage. Hiccup made up his mind and steered Toothless towards the Reaper, he would go after Dagur later. He landed his dragon on the slanting deck. He quickly got off and ran to the cage.

"Toothless, plasma blast!" he ordered. Toothless fired at the latch on the cage door, but it didn't seem to make a dent.

"Dragon proof bars!?" Fishlegs shrieked. To make maters worse the giant, screaming eels began attacking again. They jumped out of the water and snapped their jaws at Hiccup and Toothless. Toothless fired back, knocking several eels back into the water. The ship sank further. Hiccup lost his footing and grabbed the cage to keep himself on the ship. Toothless continued to fight off the eels. While he did this, Hiccup unhooked his metal leg and began using it as a crowbar to pry open the door. The eels circled in the water at the bottom of the slanting deck. They hissed like snakes. Hiccup tried harder to open the door. Toothless was about to shoot his last shot, when Tenor showed up with the other dragons. The ship slanted further. This caused all the riders to land on the door of the cage, causing it to crash open. They all held onto each others' foot again. The dragons swooped down and rescued their riders. Hiccup put his leg back on, then followed on Toothless.

They hovered over the restless eels catching their breath. Tenor circled them, keeping his eyes on the eels.

"You guys go back to Berk," Hiccup ordered. "I'll go after Dagur. I don't know what that cylinder thing is, but the one thing I do know is that he shouldn't have it."

"You want me to come with you?" Tenor asked.

"No, you go check on Serenity," Hiccup said. "I'll only be a minuet." Tenor and the other riders took off towards Berk.

Hiccup and Toothless flew after Dagur's ship. Toothless used his special sonar to navigate through the fog. In no time at all they found the ship. The two of them could see Dagur, but luckily he couldn't see them, most likely because he was too busy gloating. Toothless swooped down and Hiccup snatched the cylinder right out of Dagur's hand. They flew off, leaving Dagur red in the face.

They flew back to Berk and united with the other riders. Serenity was among them, back in Tenor's saddle where she belonged. They went to the blacksmith and showed the item to Gobber. He took it and began pulling, poking, and twisting it, trying to make something happen. They all watched him, rather doubtfully.

"Have you ever seen anything like this Dragon Eye before?" Hiccup asked.

"More importantly can you open it?" asked Astrid. Gobber ignored them, muttering something about doubters. He put all his effort into opening it. Suddenly a dart shot out of the end of it, and stabbed Tuffnut. It didn't kill him, just knocked him out.

"Well that's something," said Gobber, stupidly. He went back to making something else happen. Just as Tuffnut sat up, a blast of green gas erupted out of the Dragon's Eye. Tuffnut got a face full of it and collapsed on the ground twitching. They all formed a ring around him.

"Ok, I think we need to get Gothi," said Hiccup. Gobber handed Serenity the Dragon Eye.

"Maybe you can make something of this," Hiccup said as he mounted Toothless. "In all your travels have you seen anything like this?" Serenity studied it as they made their way up to Gothi's hut.

"I have never seen this before," Serenity said. She spotted what looked like a key hole with three holes near one end.

"Well, you're not going to get it to do anything with out a key," she said. She showed them the keyhole.

"We'll worry about that in a minuet," said Astrid.

When they got to Gothi's hut, they knocked on her door and she came out to examine Tuffnut. While she did so, Serenity continued with the Dragon Eye. When Tuffnut was treated Gothi turned to the others. Her eyes landed on the Dragon Eye, and she saw the strange keyhole. She almost looked afraid of it. She quickly turned away, clutching her staff.

"Are you okay?" asked Hiccup, concerned. Gothi looked at him, then raised her staff arm. She pointed to a scar on her forearm. It was the exact same shape as the keyhole. Gothi quickly went inside before someone asked about it.

"Her scar is the same shape as the keyhole," Hiccup said.

"And it looked like a dragon bite," said Fishlegs.

"We need to ask her about it," said Hiccup. "It could lead to the key to unlocking the Dragon Eye." They went inside. Serenity stayed outside with the dragons, and the Dragon Eye. Toothless put his ear up to the door, listening.

"Gobber's trying to make her talk," he said. "And by the sound of it, it's working quite well."

"What do you think that thing is?" asked Hookfang. "And where did it come from?"

"This technology is way beyond the knowledge of Vikings," Tenor said. "Look's like something someone from our nation would come up with."

"You think it might be dragonmade?" asked Stormfly.

"Could be," said Tenor. "But first we have to find out what it does." They looked at Toothless.

"It seems the witch got that scar from a dragon called a Snow Wraith," he said. "She was getting glacier water for healing, when it attacked her in the middle of the blizzard. She wants nothing to do with that dragon again. Hiccup's talking her into going after it to get one of its teeth. Apparently the tooth of a Snow Wraith with unlock the Dragon Eye."

"Well, this should be fun," said Barf. Just then they came out with Gothi.

"We're going to Glacier Island to look for a Snow Wraith," Hiccup said. "A tooth form that dragon will unlock the Dragon Eye."

"Oh, good, I like making new friends," Tenor said.

"Will you come with us Gothi?" Hiccup asked. Gothi shook her head then began scribbling in the sand with her staff. Gobber translated.

"She says she doesn't want to go near that dragon," he said. "She also says the village needs her. Which is true. She's the best healer we've got besides Serenity, and she only does dragons." Gothi seemed pleased.

"You remember the fury of the Snow Wraith," Hiccup said. "I get that. But I also know that you knew what if felt like to be my age. You understand the need to go out there and explore. We can unlock the mystery of the Dragon Eye, but we can't do it without your help." Gothi considered, then she nodded indicating that she understood.

"Serenity can talk to dragons," Astrid said. "Maybe she can come along and negotiate with it." Tenor looked over his wing at his dragon healer.

"What do you say my dear?" he asked. "You want to meet a Snow Wraith?"

"Alright," Serenity said. "It's better than staying behind worrying about you."

So they all mounted their dragons. Gothi got on Hookfang behind Snotlout. Gothi didn't look too pleased that Serenity was coming, as she wasn't very fond of the dragon healer. Serenity put the Dragon Eye in her saddle bag. They took off and headed north towards Glacier Island. They flew for what felt like hours. Serenity was the only one not complaining, as she had been on longer flights than this. She and Tenor flew slightly separate from the others so they could get some peace and quiet. During the long flight Serenity leaned back in her saddle, her head resting on her medical bag. Tenor could sense that she was unhappy.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Are you still unhappy with me for leaving you there?"

"It has nothing to do with you Chris, I mean Tenor" she said, realizing her mistake mid sentence. Tenor sighed, he now knew what she was thinking about.

"Hmm, it seems you miss him," he said.

"I'm sorry Tenor," Serenity said. "I know I swore I would never bring it up again."

"You can talk about anything you want," Tenor said. "It's unhealthy to keep things like this bottled up, I miss him too you know."

"I wish he was here," Serenity said. "Flying with us."

"What kind of dragon do you think he would be riding?" Tenor asked.

"I don't know," Serenity said. "I could see him on a Skrill, or maybe a Night Fury."

"Those are good options actually," said Tenor. "Because he would have to keep up with me somehow." Serenity laughed and sat up. At that moment Glacier Island appeared. Everyone seemed relieved.

The riders steered their dragons towards the island, getting a good look at it. They landed on the summit, next to a small pond. They all dismounted except for Serenity. As they began looking for signs of the Snow Wraith, a cold wind picked up. Snow was blown everywhere.

"We need to find that Snow Wraith," Hiccup called over the wind.

"We should split up, we can cover more ground at once," suggested Astrid.

"Good idea," said Hiccup. "Serenity, Tenor, you two wait here incase the Snow Wraith comes this way." Both Serenity and Tenor nodded. "Use your dragon calls if you find the Snow Wraith." The other riders mounted their dragons and took off. Serenity took the moment to fill her canteen at the pond. Tenor kept his eyes and ears open. He didn't see or hear the Snow Wraith, but he could sense that it was nearby. Serenity put her canteen with the rest of her supplies.

"Are you getting anything?" she asked.

"Just a feeling," Tenor said. "I know it's around here somewhere. You should sit down, this could take a while." Serenity took her folding chair off her saddle and set it up. She sat down and Tenor laid in the snow beside her, still on edge. They sat their, keeping a lookout for the Snow Wraith in silence.

"You really have no idea how long we've been traveling," Serenity said after a while.

"Nope," Tenor said. "Dragons don't keep track of the time like humans do. Everything we do is by pure instinct." He stretched his limbs. Serenity pulled out a gold locket that was made out of orange dragon scales, hinged together, and cut in the shape of a heart. In the middle of the heart was a ruby stone. It was secured by a gold chain. She never took it off and only brought it out when it was just her and Tenor. She opened it up and saw two pictures on each side; One picture showed an orange and red dragon. His name was Ruby, he was the dragon that found Serenity and raised her as his own. The other picture showed a twelve year old boy with dark hair, brown eyes, tan skin, large ears, and a big smile on his face. Tenor could see tears in her eyes. He crooned with concern.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"This is what we were going to do," Serenity said. "Travel the world on the backs of dragons. We were going to find all the different types. And if we found any that was in trouble Chris would fight off the bad guys and I would attend to the dragon's injuries."

"You've told me this before," Tenor said. "You say it every time you pull out that locket."

"I'm sorry," Serenity said. She closed the locket and looked at the small engraving on the back;

 _And here we'll stay until we meet again._

Tenor got to his feet and gently nuzzled her face. Suddenly the riders returned. Serenity quickly put the locket away and stood up.

"Did you find it?" Tenor asked.

"No we didn't," Hiccup said.

"We didn't see it either," Tenor said. At that moment the wind picked up again and it started to snow. The sky became dark with clouds.

"Serenity, come here," Tenor called. Serenity obeyed, she rushed to his side and put her folding chair back on the saddle. Tenor put his wing over her, keeping the wind and snow off her.

The storm got worse. The wind was threatening to blow them all off the island. It was far too stormy to take off. The riders stayed close to their dragons for coverage.

"Use your dragons as coverage from the wind!" Hiccup hollered over the wind. Suddenly a large white dragon came barreling towards them. It swooped over their heads.

"It's the Snow Wraith!?" cried Fishlegs. The dragon dived at them again.

"Fire back!" Hiccup ordered.

"Fire back where? We can't see it," Astrid pointed out. The Snow Wraith went at them again, roaring loudly.

"Actually, take cover," Hiccup said. The dragons formed a shelter with their wings and the riders huddled in the middle. The Snow Wraith soon flew off, but they were quite sure it would be back.

After a while the storm ended and the sky cleared for the moment. Everyone checked to make sure they were okay. The Snow Wraith hadn't returned for the moment. Serenity took her hat off and shook the snow off.

"Astrid are you okay?" Hiccup asked.

"Yeah I'm fine," Astrid assured him. "But what are we going to do?"

"We should get out of here," said Fishlegs. "We're sitting ducks."

"I'm not leaving without that tooth," Hiccup said, determined. He turned to Serenity. "Can you talk to him and see if he'll let you get a tooth?"

"I would have to get him on the ground first," Serenity said as she put her hat back on. Hiccup considered.

"Is there a way to do that?" he asked. Serenity looked at Tenor.

"I think I can get him down here," he said. "But we will need space, I'm sure the Snow Wraith will feel overwhelmed with all you here." Gothi didn't look pleased with this and scowled at Serenity, Tenor noticed.

"Don't you look at her like that," he snapped. "She hasn't done anything to you."

"We'll let you get to work," said Hiccup. They all backed off except for Gothi. Tenor narrowed his eyes.

"You too witch," he said. Gothi was about to whack him with her staff, but saw that every muscle in his body was tense and ready to spring. He let out a loud, gator-like hiss. Gothi gave in and backed off with the others. The coast was clear. Tenor let out a loud roar, calling the Snow Wraith. It hadn't gone that far, and in next to no time the dragon landed in front of them. The riders watched in amazement. The Snow Wraith approached them, he clearly wasn't in a good mood.

"Hello friend," Serenity said in Dragontongue. The Snow Wraith paused in surprise.

"You, you speak my language?" he asked, stunned.

"Yes sir," Serenity said. "I apologize for the trespass." The Snow Wraith approached further.

"Well, this I didn't expect I must say," he said. "I didn't expect a human to speak my language, nor did I expect her to be so polite." Serenity shrugged.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"My name is Glacierwing," said the Snow Wraith. "And yours?"

"Serenity, and this is Tenor," Serenity said.

"That's a pretty name," Glacierwing said. "You sure you're human, for no human has treated me so nicely."

"I'm human in form," Serenity said. "But my veins run with dragon's blood." This was her ultimate secret. No one but the dragons knew about it, not even the Vikings of Berk. "I'm also a Dragon Healer."

"A Dragon Healer?" Glacierwing seemed to like this news. Then a look of recognition crossed his snout. "Wait, I think I've heard of you. You don't by any chance know of a Flightmare named Polaris do you?"

"You've met Polaris?" Serenity said. Glacierwing nodded.

"His algae bloom runs right through my fishing grounds," he said. "We've quarreled in the past, but we recently have come to an agreement. Anyway he mentioned you, and he said you rode a white dragon." He looked at Tenor.

"That white dragon has found a mate," Serenity explained. "This one hasn't."

"I see, you helping him find one?" Glacierwing asked.

"Yes," Serenity said. "I'm also making sure he doesn't get lonely." She gently scratched Tenor's ears.

"Anyway," Glacierwing said. "What brings a pretty thing like yourself to my island?" Serenity reached into her saddle bag and pulled out the Dragon Eye. Glacierwing looked at it confused.

"What's that thing?" he asked.

"We don't know," Serenity said. "It it's locked by this keyhole here." She pointed to the keyhole. "The only way to unlock it is with one of your teeth."

"How interesting," Glacierwing said. "Umm, I'm a bit squeamish about having a tooth pulled."

"Lord Draco will give you another one," Serenity said. "And I can get it out nice and quick. It'll be okay." Glacierwing sighed.

"Well alright," he said. "If it'll get rid of those pesky vikings." Serenity carefully walked up to him. She gently petted his snout. He groaned with pleasure. Then Serenity went back to her saddle and put the Dragon Eye away, she also took her hat off and put it on the seat of the saddle. She got her medical bag and carried it over to the Snow Wraith. The dragon laid down. Tenor turned and cantered over to the other riders.

"You're leaving her down there?" Hiccup asked.

"She's okay," Tenor said. "He won't hurt her." He sat on his haunches and watched Serenity work. She was bent over Glacierwing's propped-open mouth. There was a moment's silence, then the Snow Wraith let out a roar of pain. He was calmed by Serenity. She seemed to thank him, then the white dragon turned and flew off. Serenity waved him good bye, then joined the others.

"Did you get it?" asked Hiccup. Serenity reached into her jacket pocket. She pulled her hand out and opened it, showing the small tooth. She handed it to Hiccup and joined her dragon.

"You see Gothi, a little compassion and patience goes a long way," Tenor said. "Even with dragons." Gothi glared at him.

"What exactly did you talk about?" Astrid asked.

"He knows me," Serenity said. "He's heard of me through other dragons."

"Serenity my dear," Tenor said. "I wouldn't be surprised if all the dragons in this region knew who you were. You have a good reputation among our kind." Serenity couldn't keep herself from blushing.

"Let's get back to Berk," said Hiccup. He mounted Toothless. Serenity put her hat back on, and mounted Tenor. The other riders mounted their dragons. They took off, and headed for Berk.

When they got back. They gathered at the blacksmith. Gothi went straight home, and went back to her job. Serenity handed Hiccup the Dragon Eye. He put it on the counter. He pulled out the Snow Wraith tooth, slid it into the keyhole, and turned it with a click. They waited. Nothing happened.

"We almost died, for that?" Snotlout snapped, annoyed.

"There must be more to it," Hiccup said, picking up the Dragon Eye. "This is just the beginning. Thanks Serenity."

"You're welcome," Serenity said. "If you have no more need of me, I'll be turning in." Without waiting for an answer, she turned Tenor around and galloped back towards her tree.

Hiccup took the Dragon Eye home and spent the rest of the day trying to get it to work. Unfortunately he got no where. Toothless watched from his corner. Hiccup managed to get a few things to happen, but nothing too interesting. He was up clear passed dark. Then his eyes began to get heavy.

"Ok bud," he said. "I'm turning in, I'll try to get it to work tomorrow." Toothless yawned. Hiccup went over and sat on his bed. Toothless crawled onto his stone and warmed it with his fire. Hiccup looked over at the Dragon Eye, and saw that a purple light was shinning out of one end. Hiccup became interested. He looked over at his dragon, who was still warming his bed. This made Hiccup wonder. He went over and picked up the Dragon Eye.

"Toothless come here," he said. Toothless obeyed. Hiccup put the Dragon Eye on his stool.

"Do that again Toothless," he said. "Give me a low flame." Toothless lowered his head behind the Dragon Eye, and lit up his mouth. The light shined through the tube, hitting a gem near the other end. The room lit up with the purple light. On the wall over Hiccup's desk, several images were projected from the Dragon Eye. Both Hiccup and Toothless looked at it in wonder.

"This changes everything," Hiccup said quietly.


	3. Imperfect Harmony

**Imperfect Harmony**

Hiccup woke up his friends and brought them to his house to see what the Dragon Eye could do. When they were gathered in Hiccup's room, Toothless lit up the Dragon Eye. It projected the maps and symbols onto the wall. Without a doubt, they were impressed.

"Wow, that's pretty amazing," said Fishlegs. "Symbols we've never seen before, and writing I can't even read. This is huge."

"So what's our next move?" asked Astrid, already having an idea of what Hiccup was going to say.

"There are whole other worlds out there," Hiccup said excitedly. "Probably with lots of new dragons. We should go explore it all."

"Serenity can come too," said Fishlegs. "She's done a lot of traveling herself."

"She and Tenor are leaving tomorrow morning," Hiccup said. "Astrid will you go ask them when they wake up? Serenity will also be useful for fixing up any injuries. And I'll go tell my Dad about the Dragon Eye."

"Sure," said Astrid.

The next morning Astrid and Stormfly flew up to the Golden Apple Tree. They found Serenity saddling up Tenor. Stoic had given her more food for her long flights. She had just put the saddle on Tenor's back when Stormfly landed.

"Hey Serenity," said Astrid.

"Hello," Serenity said. "What brings you here?"

"You've done a lot of traveling haven't you?" Astrid said. Serenity nodded as she attached the saddle to the rest of Tenor's armor.

"It's better that staying home all the time," she said.

"And you've been out side the Archipelago?" asked Astrid.

"I live outside the Archipelago," Serenity said. "Um, does this have a point?"

"Yes," said Astrid. "We found out what the Dragon Eye does last night, it shows areas outside the borders of the Archipelago. Since you were probably going there anyway, we were hoping we could tag along." Serenity seemed surprised to hear this. She and Tenor looked at each other.

"Hmmm, I suppose," Serenity said. "We've never flown with a group that size."

"Please?" said Stormfly. "We've never seen the world that you've seen. Please." Serenity smiled.

"Alright Stormfly," she said. "You've talked me into it." Astrid looked at her dragon, pleased.

"We're meeting in the plaza," said Astrid.

"Ok," Serenity said. Astrid and Stormfly flew off to find the others.

Serenity finished saddling up Tenor and adding her supplies. She led Tenor by the reins down to the plaza. The other riders were there already. They had packed a few of their own supplies, so they weren't always bugging Serenity for her to give up her rations. Hiccup seemed pleased when she arrived.

"I'm glad you decided to let us travel with you," he said. "I'll keep this lot from annoying you too much."

"I appreciate that," Serenity said. She mounted Tenor and the other riders mounted their dragons. They took off and headed over the ocean.

They flew all day. Some of the riders were getting winey. Serenity and Tenor flew separate from the others, so they wouldn't have to put up with the constant complaining. They flew into grey clouds. All the riders, except Hiccup, were sore, tired, and cold. They flew further into the storm clouds. The wind picked up, but not too strongly yet.

"Hiccup we've been flying for almost the whole day," said Fishlegs. "We should turn back." Hiccup looked straight ahead.

"Toothless see what you can find," he said. Toothless used his sonar to navigate through the clouds. No echoes. To make matters worse it started to rain.

"Hiccup the father we go the worse things get," Astrid called. The only ones who weren't phased at all was Serenity and Tenor. They flew through the storm like they had done it a million times. When Tenor heard all the complaints he laughed.

"Well how about that," he said. "The big, tough Vikings can't even last a day out here. It only took one storm to make them want to turn around." Serenity clicked the reins and Tenor sped through the clouds, vanishing in seconds. Then Hiccup spotted a bit of light ahead.

"Guys look," he said, pointing. "Head towards the light." The dragons sped up and before too long they came out into the sunlight. They cheered loudly, especially when they spotted a small island ahead. Serenity and Tenor were hovering nearby, they had waited for the others to catch up.

"Wow you were right Hiccup," said Astrid. "There is more out there."

"Um can we land?" asked Fishlegs. "Meatlug's wings are about to fall off."

"There's some land up ahead where we can put down," said Hiccup, scratching Toothless on the head. Suddenly all the dragons, except Tenor tensed up. The air filled with a shrill, wailing sound. The dragons seemed to be drawn to it.

"Do you guys hear that?" said Astrid.

"Yeah," said Snotlout, "And whatever it is, it's coming from the island and the dragons seemed to be drawn to it."

"Well then that's where landing," said Hiccup.

The dragons flew down and landed next to a large lake. They all dismounted and found a rock to sit on. The dragons got a drink from the lake, which gave them much needed energy. Serenity sat in her folding chair in the shade of a tree. The island was really pretty. There were lots of trees, grass, and a few flowers. The riders and dragons liked the place so much, that they decided to camp there. They found a spot near the lake and dug a fire pit. They put logs in it, then Snotlout dumped Monstrous Nightmare gel on the logs. Hookfang lit the fire pit. Serenity was still in her chair. She was slouched way into the chair, dozing off with her hat over her eyes. She decided not to set up her tent as they only planned to stay one night and it would be a clear night. Tenor laid beside her chair and dozed off as well.

"So this is what you do everyday?" asked Hiccup.

"Yup, pretty much," Serenity said. "I prefer places that are uninhabited by humans, like this place is. But usually I would have flown until the stars come out."

"Have you seen this place before?" asked Astrid.

"Nope," Serenity said. "But that's okay."

"What do you do when you run out of rations?" asked Hiccup. Tenor woke up and lifted his head.

"I go fishing or hunting," he said.

"And what about hostile dragons?" asked Fishlegs.

"I have never been bothered by hostile dragons," Serenity said. A thought struck Tenor and he got to his feet.

"Say, you want to go for a quick run before turning in?" he asked. Serenity considered.

"Ok, I suppose," she said. "As long as we don't go far." She got to her feet and got on Tenor's back. She turned him towards the woods and he galloped off.

They ran along the coast at high speed. Tenor ran through the shallow water for part of the run. They didn't say much during the first part of their run. But then Tenor had burned off the energy needed for running and he slowed to a trot. They looked out at the ocean, seeing a few seabirds lounging around on the surface of the water. It was very quiet, and peaceful. It was the perfect situation; just the two of them out in the wild, not a care in the world, completely free.

Tenor climbed over a few rocks, which were not a problem. Then he loped down a stony beach, right in the shallow water. The water felt very good on Tenor's scales. They didn't see much wildlife, except a few seabirds. Then he came to a stop at a grassy slope that slanted gently into the water. Serenity dismounted and Tenor laid in the grass and spread his wings on the soft grass. Serenity laid next him, leaning on his side. Finally Serenity broke the silence.

"Do you think there are any wild dragons on this island?" she asked.

"There probably is," Tenor said, dozing off again. "And if there is, I don't want you to leave my sight. Stay where I can see you."

"They might not be hostile though," Serenity said. Tenor sighed, slightly frustrated.

"Serenity, a wild dragon is always going to hostile," he said. "Just because you can speak our language, it doesn't mean all the dragons are going to be as friendly as the dragons of Berk. I know you want to think that all dragons are going to like you, but that's not how it works."

"But you said, you wouldn't be surprised if all the dragons in this region knew who I was," Serenity said. Tenor sat up and looked at her.

"Oh, don't tell me that went to your head," he said, a bit annoyed. "Dragons are dangerous animals, even to someone as kind, gifted and beautiful as you. And I don't want to have to go home with an empty saddle. We are not to be taken lightly." Serenity looked at the ground with a sad look on her face. Tenor's face softened and he licked her cheek.

"So please don't leave my sight," he said quietly. "I love you way too much to loose you, and I'm sure the other dragons back home would agree with me." Serenity hugged his head.

"Okay Tenor," she said. "I won't."

"Thank you," Tenor whispered. "Now lets get back to camp." Serenity nodded in agreement. They got to their feet, Serenity mounted up, and they headed back towards the campsite as the sun set.

By the time they got back the moon and stars were out, and everyone was sound asleep. Serenity dismounted and they both laid out on the grass. Tenor laid his head on his front paws and fell asleep, with Serenity right next to him.

Several hours later the loud, strange sounds started up again. The riders' dragons were lured out of their sleep by the strange song. They spread their wings and followed, Toothless ran through the woods. Then a large butterfly-shaped dragon flew over the campsite. He saw the humans below. He quietly landed nearby and slowly crept up on the nearest intruder. It was a large black dragon, with a human girl asleep next him. The dragon for some reason wasn't effected by his siren song. But that didn't matter; that black dragon was covered in metal, not the butterfly dragon's taste at all. But the girl, she smelled so sweet. Like fresh Dragonnip, and since Dragonnip didn't grow on this island the girl would be nice substitute. The dragon covered her in his sticky, amber-like substance. It hardened, keeping her from escaping. Luckily she remained asleep. The dragon didn't plan on eating the girl of course, then he would no longer be able to smell her fragrant aroma. Plus, humans tasted revolting. So the dragon simply carried her back to his lair.

The next morning Hiccup woke up to find all the dragons gone, except Tenor. He immediately grew concerned and woke up the other riders. They all panicked when they discovered the dragons missing. Tenor woke up to find his dragon healer missing. He quickly got to his feet.

"Serenity!" he called. "Where are you!?"

"We'll find her Tenor," Hiccup assured him. "She's probably in the same place as our dragons." Tenor followed them into the forest. He kept his eyes and ears on alert, his sensitive ears twitched at every little sound.

They searched high and low for Serenity and the dragons. They saw no hint of them. Tenor was getting more worried by the minuet. They split up and covered more ground. But they still couldn't find anything. Soon they regrouped in a clearing.

"There's nothing," said Hiccup. "No sign of Serenity or our dragons."

"Re will have my wings for this," Tenor said, more to himself. Suddenly the shrubs behind Fishlegs rattled. They all turned and stared at them. Then Toothless burst out and ran right to Hiccup. He knocked him over and licked his face.

"Hey, there you are bud," Hiccup said, happily. "Where are the others?" Toothless began prancing around roaring.

"What's he saying Tenor?" asked Astrid.

"I have no idea, he's just babbling," Tenor said. Toothless ran back up to Hiccup. He petted his dragon's head.

"What is it bud?" he asked. "Is it the other dragons?" Without warning Toothless grabbed Hiccup's metal leg and ran off. They all stared after him.

"How far do you think he'll get before he realizes?" said Astrid, amused. Hiccup sat up.

"Don't know," he said casually. "He seemed pretty committed." He looked down at his stump, Toothless was in such a hurry he didn't notice that he had taken Hiccup's metal leg, but not Hiccup.

After a while Toothless came back, realizing his mistake. He went back over to Hiccup and gave him back his leg. He crooned an apology. Hiccup stroked his snout.

"It's okay bud," he said. "I like the enthusiasm." He put his leg back on and stood up. Toothless turned to the others.

"What happened cousin?" asked Tenor.

"We were lured away by a siren song," Toothless explained, and Tenor translated. "We were brought to the base of a wall. I managed to escape, but the others weren't so lucky."

"Was Serenity with you?" Tenor asked. Toothless looked sad.

"No sir," he said. "I don't know where she is." Tenor gave an angry snort.

"Can you at least take us to where you were taken?" he asked.

"Oh, yes I can," Toothless said. "Follow me." He turned and ran off again.

"He wants us to follow him," Tenor clarified. They ran after the Night Fury and he led them through the woods. Tenor brought up the rear, still looking for his rider.

They went through the forest for what seemed like ever. Then they came to a clearing. In the middle was a huge mountain of dragon bones. Toothless led them around it and towards another clearing. When they got there, they saw many dragons. They were all trapped in an amber looking substance. It was quite a shock.

"Something's trapping the dragons in that amber-like substance," said Fishlegs. Suddenly there came a loud roar behind them. They ducked behind the closest boulders. They looked up to see a large dragon. He was orange, yellow, red, and blue. He had huge butterfly wings and small head. He landed on top of the rock wall and sniffed about. He could smell humans nearby, but none smelled as lovely as the girl he captured. He had no interest in the humans. He picked up a Tiny Terror and flew off. The riders and two remaining dragons came out of hiding.

"That dragon, it lures other dragons with its song," said Fishlegs. "It traps them in that amber stuff, then it breaks them out and eats them."

"And if it did it to all these dragons, it probably did it to ours," said Astrid.

"Hey! How come you weren't effected Tenor?" asked Snotlout. Tenor considered.

"Lets just say I'm not so easily controlled," he said. "And by the looks of things, it's a Night Fury thing." He looked at Toothless.

"You know, we should call that dragon a SongWing," said Fishlegs. Hiccup looked at him rather annoyed.

"Really you want to name it now?" he said.

"Well we have to call it something," Fishlegs pointed out.

"How about Death Song," said Tuffnut. "If you hear its song, you're dead."

"That thing will be back," said Hiccup. "We need to find your dragons before it does." They immediately disbursed and looked for the other dragons. Tenor looked around for his rider, and couldn't find her.

"Oh, where is she?" he said, getting sick with worry. The riders found their dragons. Toothless tried to bite the amber, but it was hard as stone. Suddenly the Death Song returned and growled at the trespassers. Toothless jumped onto a ledge and fired several plasma blasts at the Death Song. But then the Death Song shot an amber blast at Toothless. It knocked the Night Fury off his perch and tapped him in the unbreakable amber. Hiccup ran to his dragon. The Death Song began trapping the riders in amber. The last ones were Hiccup and Astrid. The Death Song aimed his next blast at Hiccup. Astrid spotted this and ran between Hiccup and the amber, getting herself trapped. Hiccup and Tenor were the only ones left. The Death Song roared at the two of them. Tenor shot his own plasma blasts at him. The Death Song charged at Hiccup and knocked him over the wall. Tenor flew after him and caught him on his back. He flew away. Hiccup righted himself in the saddle and steered Tenor away from the Death Song.

Tenor landed in a clearing and Hiccup dismounted. He took a few minuets to catch his breath. Tenor flapped his wings to keep them from cramping up. Then Hiccup turned to Tenor.

"Thanks," he said.

"Don't mention it," Tenor said. He sat on his haunches. Hiccup began pacing, trying to come up with what to do next.

"Oh, no I can't believe this," he said. "I should have left those guys on Berk. Now I've abandoned them back there, at the mercy of a dangerous Death Song." Then he looked at Tenor, ideas forming in his mind.

"You're not effected by that dragon's song are you?" he said.

"No, Toothless doesn't seem to be effected either," Tenor said. "I should go look for Serenity, I sure hope she's okay."

"I need you to help me get my friends out of there," Hiccup said. "And help me fight the Death Song, I can't do it without you." Tenor looked at the ground with a hard look.

"If you help me rescue my friends, we'll help you find Serenity," Hiccup promised. Tenor sighed.

"Alright," he said. "Let's go." Hiccup got back on him. Tenor spread his wings and took off.

He flew back to where his friends were still trapped. Hiccup steered Tenor over to where the Twins were trapped and tried ramming the cocoon open, to no effect. Tenor landed and folded his wings.

"Ok, that's a negative on ramming the cocoon open," said Hiccup.

"Please tell me you have a plan B," said Astrid.

"I do," Hiccup said.

"If it involved cutting, ripping or ramming," said Fishlegs. "You might as well forget it. Once this stuff cools down its very strong." An idea came to Hiccup then.

"Tenor do you think you can heat the amber up?" he asked.

"Sure," Tenor said.

"Not yet though," Hiccup said. He got off and pulled out a container of Monstrous Nightmare gel. He began smearing it all over the cocoons. Just as he was finishing up the Death Song returned. Tenor roared and the opponent roared back. Hiccup got back on Tenor and they took off. Dodging the Death Song, Tenor circled around and then swooped down towards the trapped riders and dragons. Tenor fired his purple fire at the gel, setting it ablaze. The amber started to weaken its hold, the riders and dragons were able to break free. Tenor landed and Hiccup jumped off. The riders mounted their dragon, and Hiccup followed suit. They took off instantly.

"You guys free the other dragons," Hiccup said. "Tenor and I will follow the Death Song and hopefully find the dragon healer." He clicked the stirrup and Toothless followed Tenor, who followed the Death Song.

The Death Song landed back at his lair. He was furious at his defeat. He stomped around for several minuets. Then he turned to his prisoner. Serenity was also trapped in amber, it was all over her body including on her mouth. She struggled when the Death Song approached.

"Well, at least I still have you," he sneered. He used his pointy talons to rip off her gag. He began sniffing her, like one would do with potted flower. But for some reason, her sweet smell was gone. The Death Song roared in fury.

"Tenor was right," Serenity said. "Dragons are very dangerous." This surprised the Death Song.

"You speak to dragons," he said. "But don't think that's going to save you. You are no longer of use to me. I don't eat humans, but that doesn't mean I won't kill the ones who get in my way." He moved closer. Serenity wasn't afraid. She closed her eyes.

"Chris I love you," she said so quietly that the Death Song didn't hear. The dragon was about to swipe her with his claws, when there came a familiar shriek. The Death Song was blasted off his feet. Serenity opened her eyes to see that Toothless, Hiccup, and Tenor had come just in time. Tenor tackled the Death Song to the ground, before he shoot an amber blast.

"You have some nerve taking what isn't yours," Tenor snarled.

"It take what I want," the Death Song snarled back. "And anyone who gets in my way is killed on sight." Tenor snarled and gripped the Death Song's head in his gums, and strong jaws. Then he slammed his head into the wall of the lair, knocking out the Death Song. The dragon fell to the ground, defeated. Hiccup and Toothless, meanwhile, were busy breaking Serenity free. Tenor hurried over.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes," Serenity said. "Thank you."

"We should get out of here," said Hiccup. "I don't know about you, but I don't want be around when that thing wakes up." Serenity mounted her dragon without hesitation. Hiccup got back on Toothless and they took off.

They regrouped with the other riders and dragons. They were please that Serenity was okay. They all flew as fast as they could from the island. Then Astrid brought up something.

"You know Hiccup, we should have our own island," she said. "Somewhere to set up a base."

"That's a good idea," said Fishlegs. "We're way to far to travel back and forth to Berk." Hiccup considered.

"I like it," he said. "And Snotlout you pick the island, a little reward for bringing the Monstrous Nightmare gel." Snotlout seemed excited. Then Astrid turned to Serenity and Tenor.

"You still want to stick around after that?" she asked. "And stay on the island we find?"

"Sure," Serenity said. "It'll be nice to get some of this gear off Tenor's back." She patted her dragon's neck and he purred. The riders sped their dragons up. They were all looking forward to island hopping.


	4. When Darkness Falls

**When Darkness Falls**

Hiccup and his riders went from island to island looking for the perfect place to put up a dragon outpost. They found plenty islands, but none of them quite met Hiccup's standards. Serenity and Tenor tagged along. They kept mostly to themselves.

They found one island that looked promising. They landed at the coast to give their dragons a rest. They looked around for a while.

"I like this," Hiccup said. "There's plenty of fresh water."

"There's also these pretty blue flowers," said Ruffnut. She held two handfuls of the flowers. Hiccup and Fishlegs recognized them at once.

"Those are Blue Oleanders," said Fishlegs. "Deadly poisonous to dragons."

"I have Scauldron venom," Serenity said. "And plenty of it."

"That's ok Serenity," Hiccup said. "We'll keep moving." They got on their dragons and took off again. Serenity and Tenor scouted ahead while the other riders searched the surrounding islands. Still no island met Hiccup's standard, and they were running out of daylight.

Just as they were leaving another island Serenity and Tenor returned. They said they had found a nice big island, that was perfectly habitable. The riders followed them to the island. When they got there they flew over the island, inspecting it. The island was far bigger then Berk. It had rivers and lakes, filled with fresh water. There were many different kinds of trees throughout the island, and rising in the distances was a tall snow-capped mountain that was shaped like a shark tooth. There didn't seem to be any problems with it, so Hiccup decided to set down and set up camp. They landed near the largest lake and dismounted. Hiccup looked around, satisfied.

"Nice choice Serenity," he said. "We'll make camp here, we need dry firewood and water." Unfortunately the other riders weren't listening. They were all gathered in a tight group, discussing something. Hiccup and Toothless went to investigate. They were arguing about what they wanted the outpost should look like. Snotlout wanted it to be S shaped, the Twins wanted a boar pit of all things, and Fishlegs wanted it to be a bath house of some sort. Toothless shot a plasma blast at the ground to silence everyone.

"Thanks bud," said Hiccup. "Now, we can discus the design of the outpost tomorrow. Right now we need to get camp set up." The riders abandoned the outpost designs and helped Hiccup dig a fire pit. The dragons laid down in the grass and dozed off. Serenity unsaddled Tenor, and took all her gear off his back. He laid down in the grass as well and spread his wings out to cool off.

"Ah that feels much better," he said. Toothless lit the campfire and everyone began to unwind. Serenity set her tent up, a short distance from the others. Though she knew these humans weren't going to harm her, they were still human and she was still afraid of humans. She set up her folding chair as well, and sat down. She and Tenor watched the other riders. Stormfly spotted them and went over.

"Hey, why are you way over here?" she asked.

"The human world holds nothing for me anymore," Serenity explained. "Just abuse and exile. I have nothing against your riders, but they do seem to be prone to accidents."

"Well, I suppose that's true," said Stormfly. "And they can be quite inappropriate. Are you going to put up a hospital on this outpost? Like you have back on Berk?" Serenity looked at Tenor. He seemed interested.

"I guess," Serenity said. "I don't know how build things though, it's one of the only talents I don't have."

"Well our riders and ourselves can built it for you," said Stormfly.

"That sounds like a good idea," Serenity said. "Both Aurora and Lord Draco himself use their magic to keep me well supplied with medical equipment." She leaned back in her chair. Stormfly yawned and stretched her wings.

"Well, I'm turning in," she said.

"I think I will too," said Serenity. She got up and put her hat on the seat of her chair. She went into her tent and went right to sleep. Stormfly went back to the others. Tenor stretched out onto the grass and fell right to sleep. The other riders and dragons weren't far behind. The island soon grew quiet.

Several hours later, the riders and dragons were suddenly woken up by Tuffnut coming out of the woods, shouting nonsense. Everyone got to their feet, sleepy eyed, and annoyed. Tenor woke up as well. Serenity was the only one who stayed asleep. Tenor decided to leave her be. He joined the Berkians.

"What is it Tuff?" asked Hiccup, only half awake.

"Huge dragon," Tuffnut babbled. "Hug, giant, colossal dragon."

"Can we please go back to sleep?" Astrid yawned.

"I'll prove it," said Tuffnut, seeing that he wasn't getting anyone else excited. He turned and went back the way he'd come.

"Let's go sort this out," said Hiccup. "Then we can go back to sleep." They all followed Tuffnut through the forest. They walked for a few miles. They came to a clearing where Tuffnut said he saw the dragon. But now there was nothing. Tuffnut was of course mad about this. The riders and dragons yawned and headed back towards their campsite. When they got there, they went right back to sleep.

The next day the riders got right to work designing the dragon outpost. It didn't take long before they began arguing over which idea was the best. Hiccup was beside himself with annoyance. Serenity and Tenor stayed well clear. They watched from their little campsite. The arguing got louder. Finally Hiccup stepped in.

"Look guys, we have to decide on one outpost," he said. "We can't build five different outposts. Everyone come up with an idea, then we'll vote on it." This seemed to quiet them down for the moment. Serenity and Tenor looked at each other.

"It seems Hiccup runs things through a democracy," Serenity said.

"It's a good system," Tenor said. "A great way to prevent mutiny." At the moment the only one not present was Tuffnut, as he was out looking for the dragon he saw last night. With everyone occupied the area went unusually quiet. Hiccup laid beside Toothless, leaning on his side. Tenor went for a quick hunt to refuel. Serenity sat in her chair quietly. The riders worked quietly to build models of their outpost ideas. The dragons dozed off, enjoying the peace and quiet.

Tenor returned from his hunt and sat next to Serenity. She was just as quiet as everyone else. Tenor noticed that she held a book in her lap. There was a red fork-tongued bookmark hanging out of it. When Tenor saw the title, he sighed.

"Cinderella?" he said.

"Yes," said Serenity. "That bookmark hasn't moved since the night I gave Chris is coat."

"How far did you get?" Tenor said.

"The stepmother and stepsisters just left for the ball," Serenity said. "Cinderella is all alone with her little mice friends." Tenor gave a small snort.

"And you've remained on that part ever since," he said, it wasn't a question.

"I'm starting to think that happily ever after only happens in fairy tails," Serenity said sadly. Tenor gently put his head on her lap, right on top of the book. Serenity scratched him behind his sonar flaps. He purred with affection.

"There's a happy ending for everyone," he said. "Even you and me. I'm sure we'll find happiness, either in this life or the next." Serenity couldn't help but smile at him. She went back to watching the riders. The quietness came to an abrupt halt when Snotlout and Fishlegs began arguing over a rock. Hiccup smacked his forehead. Just then Tuffnut stumbled out of the forest. He and Ruffnut got into an argument about the dragon in the woods. It got so bad that they declared a challenge. They quickly got on their Zippleback and flew off. Hiccup got on Toothless and sped after them. Tenor and Serenity watched them go.

"Maybe we should follow them," Tenor said. "If there is a dragon out there, they might need a translator to negotiate."

"Alright," said Serenity. She got up and put her book on the seat of her chair. She grabbed her medical bag and put the shoulder strap across her chest. Then she mounted Tenor bareback and they too took off.

They followed the other two dragons at a distance. They didn't say word, and kept their eyes open for wild dragons. They flew all over the island. They flew all day and clear into the night. There was no sign of any dragon. Hiccup was about to declare Ruffnut the winner of the challenge, when there came a loud roar from the forest. The dragons tensed up, almost dislodging their riders. They looked around for the source of the roar. Then a large, shadowy dragon flew out of the trees and hovered in front of the riders. The dragon was as black as Toothless and Tenor. It had a rhino and parrot appearance. It had a small white eye. The strangest part of the dragon was that it was rather fuzzy, like it was being looked at though an unfocused lens. It let out a loud roar and flew over the riders. It was heading right for the campsite. Toothless and the Zippleback sped after it. Toothless fired a warning shot at it. The dragon stopped and turned around. The Twins tried ramming into the dragon, but it exploded into a thousand flapping pieces.

"It's not one giant dragon," Hiccup realized. "But hundreds of little ones." All the little dragons were solid black with light grey undersides. Hiccup spotted one that was silver grey. That one began barking orders to his followers. They regrouped around him.

"They all gather around that white one," said Hiccup. "He must be the leader."

"Easily taken care of," said Tuffnut. He and Ruffnut flew Barf and Belch towards the new dragons with a net between them. They quickly snagged the silver grey dragon, scattering the others.

"Problem solved," Tuff said causally. The silver grey dragon wriggled to get free, but the net held. The Twins flew off with it. Hiccup and Toothless were right behind them. Tenor and Serenity sped on ahead.

Back at the campsite the other riders gathered around the silver grey dragon. He was still trying to get free. The riders were too fascinated to notice his distress.

"It looks like a Terrible Terror," said Astrid. "But bigger and meaner."

"And it seems they're nocturnal," said Hiccup. "Like Toothless."

"How about we call them Night Terrors?" said Fishlegs. The others liked the sound of it.

"Night Terrors it is," said Hiccup. At that moment Tenor and Serenity landed. Hiccup turned to them.

"Serenity could you speak to this white dragon and see what you can learn?" he asked. Serenity looked over at the small dragon.

"I suppose," she said, dismounting. She went up to the dragon. The other riders backed up to give her space. She knelt down in front of him. He panicked and struggled.

"Calm down," she whispered in Dragontongue. "You're okay." The dragon paused.

"You can speak to me," he said. This seemed to give him hope. Serenity nodded.

"What's your name?" she asked softly.

"My name is Silvereye ma'am," the dragon said. "Can you get me out of here, please? My friends they'll die without me."

"What's he saying?" asked Fishlegs.

"Silvereye wants to be set free," Serenity said. "He says his friends will die without him." Right on cue there came loud roars from the forest.

"His name is Silvereye?" said Hiccup. Serenity nodded.

"Aw and I wanted to call him Smidvark," said Tuffnut disappointed. Silvereye wriggled harder as he heard his squadron calling for him. The roars got louder. Serenity turned and pulled the net off him. Silvereye smiled at her and gave a grateful nod. He turned and flew off. Hiccup and his fellow riders mounted their dragon and followed him

They soon found the other Night Terrors being terrorized by Changewings. They circled the swarms of Night Terrors like sharks circling schools of sardines. The Night Terrors were completely helpless. The riders flew at the Changewings and fired. The predators scattered and flew off, leaving the Night Terrors alone. The victory was short lived unfortunately. Hiccup looked through his spyglass and saw more Changewings approaching. Silvereye began calling to his squadron. They gathered around him, making their giant dragon form.

"Now it makes sense," said Fishlegs. "They group together to make a giant version of themselves to frighten off predators." The Night Terrors flew in their formation and charged at the Changewings. The bigger dragons were intimidated by this and flew off as fast as they could. Everyone cheered at the victory. Hiccup watched the Night Terrors deep in thought, then an idea came to him. He led his riders back to their campsite. While the others went to bed, Hiccup stayed up drawing up his own outpost design.

By morning he had come up with his design and drew it on a big sheet of parchment. On the way back from fighting the Changewings he had spotted a place on the coast of the island that would be the perfect spot. When he was done he waited for the others to wake up. When they did he gathered them to hear his idea.

"I've come up with an idea for our dragon outpost," he began. "I got the idea from the Night Terrors. I combined all your ideas into one giant base. Astrid, you can make your section as heavily armed as possible. Snotlout, you're may not be S shaped, but you can S crazy on it. Fishlegs, you get a spot near the ocean. It's very serene and there's plenty of room for your very one rock garden. Ruff and Tuff, there's a spot for your boar pit under your hut. In addition to all this there will be dragon stables, a landing strip, and a dragon training arena. On top of it all is the club house. Everything will be connected via bridges, zippiness, and gang planks." The riders were liking this idea more and more.

"I plan to call it Dragon's Edge," Hiccup said, wrapping it all up. The riders smiled and nodded.

They got right to work building the outpost. They didn't have a whole lot to work with, Hiccup planned to bring supplies in from Berk. While the outpost was being built Serenity and Tenor made negotiations with Silvereye and the Night Terrors. They didn't seem to mind the riders building an outpost on their island. Hiccup planned to give Serenity and Tenor their own place to stay. It would be slightly distant from the main outpost, so Serenity could do her healing work without people getting in the way. Things were falling into place very smoothly.

It took all day to build the foundation for the outpost. When the sun set they gathered at a cliff overlooking the beach. Hiccup had called them up there to show them yet another addition to the outpost. When they were gathered, Tuffnut called Silvereye over. The silver grey dragon flew down and landed on one of the many perches on the cliff.

"I figured since we're going to share the island with them," Hiccup explained. "We should share the outpost as well. They will act as sentries and help defend the island. Serenity already made the negotiations." Silvereye gave a happy roar. Suddenly all the Night Terrors flew up and circled around Toothless. They chatted to each other excitedly.

"Wow, a real Night Fury," one said. "He looks so great."

"And did you see him back there," said another. "This is so cool, we're sharing our island with a kindred spirit. And one that's so rarely seen." Silvereye shouted out a suggestion, which got the others excited.

"What's going on?" asked Astrid. They all looked at Serenity. She smiled, amused.

"Toothless has some admirers," she said. They watched the Night Terrors in amazement.

"Hey, Night Fury check this out," said a female Night Terror. Then all the little dragons flocked to the sky, right in front of the full moon. They swarmed together, forming a giant Night Fury. Silvereye took his place as the eye. Toothless beamed at this. The riders laughed in amazement.

"Thank you!" Toothless called up to them. After a few minuets the Night Terrors disbursed.


	5. Big Man on Berk

**Big Man on Berk**

The riders were flying as fast as they could towards Berk. Stoic had called them back to deal with a Scauldron that was in Berk's fishing lane. Tenor was among them. Serenity had decided to stay behind at Dragon's Edge, so she could attend to a few sick Night Terrors. Tenor flew beside the riders.

Soon they reached the area the Scauldron was in. Stormfly was carrying a huge net plenty big enough for the Scauldron. Hiccup planned to relocating the dragon instead of killing it. They all pulled alongside Hiccup so he could give instruction.

"Snotlout and I will draw the Scauldron's attention," Hiccup called. "Once he's distracted, Astrid and the Twins will scoop it up in the net." Fishlegs, as usual was overly cautious.

"You guys do know that a Scauldron's hot water blast can rip the scales right off a Screaming Death," he said. At that moment the Scauldron's head emerged from the water. It spotted the riders and roared in surprise.

"Ok there it is," said Hiccup. "Let's get to work." They all accelerated. Tenor circled nearby, he was on standby incase he needed to fly back to Dragon's Edge and fetch his dragon healer. Hiccup and Snotlout circled the Scauldron annoying it. Astrid and the Twins strung the net between their dragons. Fishlegs kept his distance. When the Scauldron seemed distracted enough, Astrid and the Twins drove their dragons towards it with the net. They were just about to get the Scauldron when Fishlegs suddenly sneezed. It threw Meatlug off course, causing her to crash into both Hookfang and Toothless. Snotlout was thrown from the saddle. Tenor dove down and snagged Snotlout before he fell into the water. Fishlegs kept sneezing. The Scauldron filled it's gullet with hot water; but Toothless shot it with several plasma blast. The sea dragon roared in outrage. But then it dove into the water and vanished. The riders headed for Berk after Tenor dropped Snotlout back onto his saddle. Fishlegs continued to sneeze all they way back to the village.

When they all landed in the plaza everyone was glaring at Fishlegs. Snotlout was furious.

"I almost died all because of your sneezing fit," he bellowed.

"Come on Snotlout you lived," said Astrid.

"No thanks to Itchlegs over there," said Snotlout. They turned to see Fishlegs scratching himself nonstop. Tenor and Toothless exchanged a disgusted glance.

"Fishlegs I think there's something wrong with you," said Hiccup.

"Nonsense," said Fishlegs. "Everyone itches and sneezes sometimes. I'm clean, serene..."

"And an itchin' machine," Ruffnut added. Fishlegs scratched more furiously.

"Maybe you're just allergic to something," said Hiccup.

"Allergies don't run in the Ingerman family," Fishlegs scoffed. He sneezed again.

"Serenity says allergies are caused by something organic," Tenor said. Astrid looked at him.

"Has Serenity every been wrong?" she asked.

"She's been wrong about a few things," Tenor said. "But she's never wrong about healing. Now all we have to do is determine what Fishlegs is allergic to."

"We have a allergen test system that has never failed," said Tuffnut. They were all skeptic of this but nonetheless, they all headed for the arena. The Twins gathered a few things and met them down there. Hiccup decided they would address the Scauldron problem later.

When they were all gathered at the arena, the Twins got right to work with their 'allergen test system'. First they gave him a Thousand Year Old Egg, which according to Tenor, was a delicacy of the far far east. Fishlegs ate it, but it didn't seem to trigger anything. Then the Twins tried yak fur, that didn't do anything either. Then they tried spoiled milk and cheese, that still didn't work. Fishlegs went to stand next to Meatlug, and he began itching and sneezing almost at once. The other riders exchanged a glance.

"Fishlegs, I think you might be allergic to Meatlug," said Hiccup. Meatlug looked almost scared.

"How can he suddenly be allergic to Meatlug?" asked Astrid.

"It appears to be a case of adult onset allergies," said Ruffnut. "They develop in your elder years when the immune system mistakenly identifies a dangerous substance."

"Hmm, the Twins seem to be smarter than I thought," Tenor said. "Today."

"You mean it's true?" Fishlegs squeaked.

"Afraid so," Tenor said. Meatlug went up to Tenor.

"What do we do about it Prime Minister?" she asked.

"I don't know," Tenor said innocently. "I know nothing about human anatomy. Serenity knows somethings but not very much."

"There's only one person who could help us," said Hiccup. "Gothi."

So they got on their dragons and Tenor followed them to Gothi's hut, Fishlegs was itching and sneezing the whole time. Hiccup asked Tenor to go get Gobber and bring him up to Gothi's hut for translation. Tenor turned and headed for the blacksmith. Gobber was out front. Tenor swooped down and grabbed Gobber in his back talons. He then headed for Gothi's hut, Gobber protesting the whole way. They met up with the riders at Gothi's hut and Tenor set Gobber down then landed next to his fellow dragons. Hiccup had already told Gothi about the problem with Fishlegs. Gothi began swaying on the spot, waving her hands and staff all over the place. They all watched quietly. Finally Gothi began scribbling in the patch of sand on her porch. Both Gobber and Fishlegs read it. Fishlegs became concerned.

"I bet you really hate it when Gobber and Fishlegs the only ones who know what Gothi is saying. Don't you Tenor?" Snotlout said smugly.

"I can't complain," Tenor said. "I have the only human in the entire world who can speak to dragons in their tongue." They turned back to Gothi.

"She wants to what?" Fishlegs asked timidly.

"She wants to paralyze you," said Gobber. Gothi whacked him with her staff. Gobber corrected himself. "Oh, she wants to hypnotize you." Tenor muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like 'witchcraft'.

"Gothi wants to hypnotize you into thinking you're not allergic to Meatlug," Gobber continued.

"It's worth a shot I suppose," said Hiccup. Gothi began slowly waving her staff in Fishlegs's face. His eyes followed it and soon he fell to the floor asleep. The riders and Gobber gathered around him.

"Well here goes nothing," said Hiccup, he then began waving his hands over Fishlegs. "Fishlegs, you are not allergic to Meatlug; you are not allergic to Meatlug." He said this over and over, in a falsely spooky voice. He stopped when he felt like it was enough.

"Okay," he said to Gothi. "You can bring him out of it now."

"Wait a minuet," Snotlout said. "We have an opportunity here to rebuild Fishface. We could make him believe he's a worshiped, god-like, viking hero, with the strength of ten yaks. A viking who demands attention."

"But Berk already has one of those," Tenor said. "His name is Stoic the Vast." At that moment Fishlegs got to his feet with his back facing everyone. Gothi went over and snapped her fingers in Fishlegs's face. He opened his eyes and stood up straight. He began flexing his muscles and popping his knuckles. They all looked at him concerned.

"Fishlegs?" Hiccup said, nervously. Fishlegs turned around sharpish, he bore a smug expression that Fishlegs had never worn before.

"Fishlegs?" he said, in a smug British accent. "There is no Fishlegs here." He pushed passed Hiccup and Snotlout, his chest out and head held high. He went over to Meatlug and looked at her with a cold expression.

"Who is this pudgy little reptile," he said coldly. Everyone was shocked at this. Meatlug let out a sad wine and backed off, hurt. Fishlegs turned to the others.

"The name is Bonecrusher," he said. "Thor Bonecrusher." To emphasize this he grabbed Gothi's staff and snapped it in two, then threw it into the ocean. Then he turned and stormed off.

"Well, like my queen always says; 'no good comes out of hypnosis,'" Tenor said. The other riders and dragons ran after Fishlegs.

They arrived in the plaza where Fishlegs was walking boldly through the village. This caught the attention of the other vikings. They began oohing and awing as Fishlegs performed heroic acts. The dragons were unimpressed by this. Meatlug went over to Tenor, her feelings still hurt.

"Did you hear what he said to me?" she said, close to tears. Tenor looked at her with sympathy.

"Meatlug, there's one thing I learned early in life, looking the way I do," Tenor said. "Is that you can't let insults get to you, weather they're from friend of foe. Or at least don't show it on your face that you're insulted." Meatlug looked up at him.

"But what are we going to do about Fishlegs?" she asked. "What would the queen do in this situation?"

"Fortunately her majesty hasn't had to deal with this situation," Tenor said. "She never relies on hypnosis to fix a problem. She frowns on mind control. But I think she would just undo the hypnosis, using her magic."

"I wish she was here," Meatlug said.

"Yeah, me too," Tenor said. "I haven't seen them in weeks."

They turned to watch Fishlegs march through the village boasting about his amazing deeds. He made his way over to the blacksmith looking for a weapon. Gobber was in there sharpening Stoic's ax. Fishlegs marched right in. Snotlout, who was practically worshiping the ground Fishlegs walked on, began handing him different weapons. Fishlegs brushed off each option Snotlout handed him, insulting Gobber the whole time. Finally Fishlegs spotted Stoic's ax in Gobber's hand, and he seemed to like it. He marched right up to Gobber and snatched the ax out of Gobber's hand.

"Now this is an ax fit for a viking," he boasted, holding it above his head. The blade gleamed in the sunlight.

"That's Stoic's ax," said Gobber. Fishlegs looked Gobber in the eye.

"Correction," he said. "This was Stoic's ax." He began walked away from the blacksmith.

"Uh, Fishlegs," Hiccup said, but Fishlegs shot him a hard glare. "Thor Bonecrusher, Stoic isn't the type of viking that likes to share his things, especially his ax."

"Neither do I," Fishlegs shot back. With that he marched off. Gobber walked up beside Hiccup. Toothless, Tenor and Meatlug stood near by.

"We need Fishlegs back," said Hiccup. "We should take him back to Gothi so she can unhypnotize him."

"Couldn't agree with you more," said Gobber. "One problem though, where'd he go?" They looked around and saw no Fishlegs. But they could hear a commotion coming from the great hall. They made their way towards the noise. The dragons followed them. Tenor stayed by Meatlug, so she wouldn't feel so lonely.

When they got to the great hall they found a huge group of vikings, Snotlout included, all listening to Fishlegs boasting about fighting the Scauldron. He was talking about how he was mounted on an 'insignificant' dragon, charging at the Scauldron. Meatlug looked at the ground sadly. Both Toothless and Tenor draped a wing around her.

"Don't loose hope Meatlug," Toothless said. "We'll get your Fishlegs back." She smiled at the two of them.

"Why don't you guys take care of Meatlug," Hiccup suggested. "We'll deal with Thor Bonecrusher."

"Better you than me," Tenor said, as the three dragons exited the great hall. They made their way down the steps and onto the plaza. At that moment Stoic came out of his house.

"Hey Tenor," Stoic greeted. "How's relocating the Scauldron coming?" Tenor looked amused.

"Erm, there's a bit of a delay," he said, trying to keep a strait face.

"What kind of a delay?" asked Stoic.

"Go see for yourself," Tenor said, gesturing towards the great hall with his head. Stoic narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"Where's your rider?" he asked.

"She's back on Dragon's Edge treating some sick dragons," Tenor said.

"Well, I better go see what the fuss is about," Stoic said. He turned and headed up towards the great hall. The three dragons turned to each other.

"Let's go up to the apple tree," Toothless suggested. "Stormfly, Barf and Belch are there already."

"Good idea," said Meatlug glumly. She followed the two black dragons up towards Serenity's Golden Apple Tree. The tree had been a gift to the dragons. Serenity grew the tree in her early years on Berk. She couldn't carry it with her on her travels, so she left it where it was. The piece of land the tree sat on used to be long to Mildew, but when he joined the Outcasts Stoic had given the land to Serenity. She found it very handy for healing dragons both wild and tame. Stoic had rebuilt the house, making it slightly bigger. A field of Dragonnip had replaced the fields of dirt and rotten cabbage.

Everything on the tree was a rich golden color; the leaves, the wood, the apples, even the shade. It was several times bigger than a normal apple tree. The trunk was big enough to hold a small bedroom inside it. Serenity slept in the tree and saved the house for her patients. The dragons treasured the apple tree. It was where they hung out when their riders had no need of them.

Toothless, Tenor and Meatlug found Stormfly and Barf and Belch in the shade of the tree. Barf and Belch were grazing on apples and Stormfly was grooming her wings. They looked over when their friends joined them.

"Hello," Stormfly said. "How are you doing Meatlug?" Meatlug hung her head sadly.

"I want my Fishlegs back," she said, close to tears.

"Hiccup will get him back," Toothless said. "And we'll help."

"You heard what he said to me," Meatlug said. "He doesn't want me anymore."

"Of course he does," said Tenor. "He may not realize it at the moment, but he needs you." Meatlug looked up at him.

"He doesn't need me," she said. Tenor snorted and tossed his head like a horse.

"You and Fishlegs are a team, like a good dragon and rider," he said. "If Serenity was in this situation I wouldn't let her down. I would protect her no matter what. You're a dragon Meatlug, start acting like one." At that moment Hiccup came up the hill, followed by Astrid and the Twins.

"Did you fix Fishlegs?" asked Tenor.

"No," said Hiccup. "Gothi can't unhypnotize him because Thor Bonecrusher broke her staff. She said fear will bring Fishlegs back."

"Well that's something I'm sure," Tenor said.

"Right now Thor Bonecrusher and Snotlout are going out to fight the Scauldron," said Astrid. "We have to find them before they get themselves killed."

"Maybe there'll be another opportunity to relocate it," Tenor said. The riders mounted their dragons.

"Will you help us Tenor?" asked Astrid.

"Yup," said Tenor shuffling his wings. The dragons spread their wings and flew off. Tenor and Meatlug followed them.

They flew over the ocean. Storm clouds covered the sky and the sea became choppy. Meatlug followed the other riders and dragons, Tenor stayed back with her. It didn't take them long before they found Fishlegs, Snotlout, and Hookfang. They were flying low over the wild ocean. The Scauldron burst out of the water. Hookfang shot fire at it, making it furious. Fishlegs jumped onto the Scauldron's head. The sea dragon thrashed around in attempt to throw Fishleg's off. It dove in and out of the water. The others tired and failed to fight the Scauldron. The sea dragon burst out of the water, and flew higher. Meatlug began to panic.

"Tenor do something," she cried. "Save him." Tenor looked at her.

"That's not really my job is it?" he said. Meatlug took the hint at once. She let out loud roar and charged towards the Scauldron. She shot a lava blast at it, attracting its attention. It roared back and shot a hot water blast. It chased after Meatlug. Fishlegs saw this, his dragon was in danger. He started to panic and Thor Bonecrusher turned back into Fishlegs.

"No, not my Meatlug," he exclaimed, he climbed up the Scauldron's back. "Leave my dragon alone." He reached the sea dragon's head and leapt onto Meatlug's back. Now the Scauldron was chasing them both. Fishlegs steered Meatlug back towards the other riders. Astrid and the Twins flew in on their dragons, with the net between them. They snagged the Scauldron in the net. Everyone cheered at the victory. The sky cleared and the water calmed. Astrid and the Twins flew the Scauldron elsewhere.

Later, all the riders and dragons flew back to Berk. They were all feeling much better. They landed in the plaza and dismounted. Stoic and Gobber came up to them.

"Where's the Scauldron?" asked Stoic.

"He's been successfully relocated," Hiccup said, stroking Toothless's head.

"And my ax?" asked Stoic. Hiccup scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Eh, also relocated," he said. The villagers swarmed the plaza asking about Thor Bonecrusher. Fishlelgs and Meatlug landed. He waved shyly at them all. Naturally the villagers were disappointed. They walked off.

"Humans, so spoiled rotten," Tenor said.

"Hey, Fishlegs," said Astrid. "You didn't scratch once on the flight back."

"You're right," said Fishlegs. "Meatlug isn't wearing her saddle."

"So you weren't allergic to Meatlug," said Hiccup. "You were allergic to the saddle."

"But why suddenly the saddle?" asked Fishlegs. At that moment Gobber came up to them, picking his ear with his hook.

"I have been using a new kind of wax on the saddles," he said, pulling out a huge wad of earwax. Fishlegs instantly began sneezing and itching again. Everyone looked grossed out.

"I'm allergic to Gobber's earwax?" Fishlegs exclaimed. Gobber backed off, embarrassed. The sneezing and itching stopped, to Fishlegs's relief.

"You know what I just realized," Tenor said, and everyone looked at him. "The whole hypnotizing of Fishlegs was entirely pointless." They all gave an embarrassed laugh as they realized it was true.

"I'm both relieved and disgusted," said Fishlegs. They all murmured in agreement.

The dragons went up to the apple tree to cool off. They planned to return to Dragon's Edge the next day. They all laid in the tree's shade. The sun was setting in the west. Meatlug turned to Tenor.

"Thank you Prime Minister," she said. "For what you said earlier. I don't see why any dragon would bully you. You're a wise old dragon."

"Who you calling old?" Tenor said, half annoyed half amused. He gave her a quick wink, in case he'd hurt her feelings. He then laid his head down on his front paws.

"You were bullied?" asked Hookfang. "Why?"

"There isn't a dragon in the world who looks like me," Tenor explained. "The dragons back home don't know where I come from. Many of them have never even heard of a Night Fury. To them I'm part Blackfang and part unknown. Until Serenity landed on Berk and found out about Toothless; I didn't even know what I was. The other dragons didn't trust me, I had all the advantages; speed, stealth, intelligence, fire, and venom. I am very dangerous, I can easily kill someone by accident. I also suspect they're envious. Using these same advantages I won every game. I surpassed every dragon my age in hunting, fishing, and fighting. Females wanted to be as far from me as possible. They thought I would be a snobby show off, or that I might turn evil and kill them. I was only about two years old when I locked myself in the castle, and I didn't emerge for many years until Re and Aurora were crowned. They made me Prime Minister, they hoped it would help. It did in some respects, but not the way they had hoped."

"You're still without a mate," Stormfly finished for him. Tenor nodded sadly.

"And there's nothing Re and Aurora can do about it," he said. "Turns out I'm not the only one on a constant search for love."

"Serenity?" said Toothless. Tenor nodded again.

"She's been dreaming about starting her own family for several years," he said. "She's not exactly accepted in amongst her kind either. She's too loyal to our kind for their liking."

"Then maybe it's not a human she should be looking for," said Stormfly. "And maybe it's not a female dragon you should be looking for." Tenor looked at her surprised, catching on to what she was trying to say.

"She's human, and I'm a reptile," he said. "If she was my mate then neither of us would have children, we are way too different for that. I love her very much, but not in that way. She's my rider, and that's good enough."

"I suppose you're right," said Stormfly. "Well I'm sure you'll both find the one for you." Tenor just nodded and yawned.

"We should get some rest," Toothless said. "We have a long flight tomorrow." The dragons nodded in agreement. They laid down on the soft Dragonnip and fell asleep in minuets.


	6. Gone Gustav Gone

**Gone Gustav Gone**

Dragon's Edge was now a fully functioning base. Each of the riders had their own hut, which they decorated to their liking. There was also a training arena, a club house, dragon stables, and a few watchtowers. On a cliff next to the outpost, overlooking the beach and sea beyond was a large yurt. It was made of brick and clay shingles. There were windows all around it, and some more in the roof. Serenity had said she didn't need a house on Dragon's Edge, she said she was just fine with her tent. But both Hiccup and Stoic had insisted. She gave in. Tenor took over building it for her. When it was finished she flew her Draconian flag from the roof. The Draconian seal was also carved on the front door. None of the riders bothered her much unless their dragons were sick or injured. The dragons spent their free time gathered around her campfire.

Tenor was growing concerned about her though. She was unusually quite, and she wasn't sleeping well. Every night she woke up in tears. Every time Tenor tried to talk to her about it, she only said she was having nightmares about losing him in a fight with Dagur. Tenor suspected there was more to it then that, and sooner or later he would get a confession out of her. Serenity could be happy during the day, being with her usual dragon friends or with the Night Terrors. It was at night when she felt so lonely.

One afternoon Hiccup asked Tenor to come to his hut and help with unlocking more secrets of the Dragon Eye. Tenor flew down and landed in his doorway. Hiccup and Toothless were already making adjustments to the Dragon Eye. They looked up when Tenor came in.

"Hey Tenor," Hiccup said. "Good of you to come. I'm trying to find out if this Dragon Eye knows anything about Night Furies."

"Why do you need me then?" Tenor asked. "You have a Night Fury." Toothless crooned in agreement.

"But I'm wondering what will happen with your fire," Hiccup said. "Since you're a dragon that no one has ever heard of."

"Alright," Tenor said. "But I doubt this Dragon Eye hasn't heard of me either." Hiccup pointed the Dragon Eye at a bare patch of wall. Tenor lit up his mouth with his fire, which was slightly more purple than Toothless's. The Dragon Eye projected purple images onto the wall. It was pictures Hiccup had seen before. He turned a few dials on the handle. The images changed slightly. Then Hiccup noticed buttons on the end around the gem. He pushed a few and turned some more dials, putting in the code for Night Fury. But suddenly the Dragon Eye went out. All three of them exchanged a glance.

"Well it seems the Dragon Eye doesn't know where the Night Furies are either," Tenor said. He turned to Toothless. "Sorry cousin." Suddenly Astrid burst into the room.

"Hiccup we've got a problem," she said, out of breath.

"Dagur?" said Hiccup, on alert.

"Worse," said Astrid. Hiccup was now confused.

"What could be worse than Dagur?" he asked. But before Astrid could answer Gustav and his Monstrous Nightmare, Fanghook landed right on top of Astrid.

"Gustav?!" Hiccup exclaimed. The other riders came in. They were all quite surprised that Gustav and Fanghook had shown up.

"Tenor you remember Gustav Larsen right?" said Hiccup. Tenor narrowed his eyes at him for a moment.

"Didn't you appoint him as backup rider?" he said.

"Yup," said Hiccup. Tenor and Toothless exchanged a glance. Suddenly Fanghook barged right up to the two of them.

"Hey Night Furies! Nice to see you again eh," he said so loudly it made their ears ring.

"Hello to you too Fanghook," said Toothless annoyed. "What brings you and Gustav here?"

"We've come to join you all," said Fanghook excitedly. At that moment Gustav spotted the Dragon Eye and picked it up. He accidentally shined the light in his eyes. He dropped it quickly, blinking his eyes to clear them.

"What is that thing?" he asked. "Some kind of sun sort." Fishlegs picked the Dragon Eye up.

"It's not a sun sort," said Hiccup.

"It's called the Dragon Eye," said Fishlegs, handing it to Tenor. "It's really old and really fragile."

"Is it yours Prime Minister?" asked Fanghook.

"No," Tenor replied. "We don't really know where it came from." He clasped the Dragon Eye in his gums and walked out of the room. He spread his wings and flew off. He flew back to Serenity's yurt. He found his dragon healer sitting in her chair, asleep. He decided to leave her be, she was still having trouble sleeping. She would stay up for hours after dark, wake up crying, then sleep until in the afternoon. She only got two or three hours of sleep. Tenor turned and went inside the yurt with the Dragon Eye. Whenever Hiccup and the riders weren't using it, Tenor and Serenity kept it hidden in their yurt. Hiccup wanted to make absolutely sure Dagur never got his hands on it. Since Dagur didn't know about Serenity or Tenor, Hiccup felt that it was a good idea to hide the Dragon Eye with them.

Inside the yurt there was a large fire pit right in the center. A twin bed, made of polished wood sat to one side. There was a wardrobe, a trunk, and a picnic table throughout the yurt. Tenor put the Dragon Eye into the trunk. He turned and went back outside. He was about to take off to go fishing.

"Hello down there!" came a call from the roof. Tenor looked to see Fanghook perched on the roof.

"What are you doing up there?" he asked. "Come down here." Fanghook glided down and landed next to Tenor. Fanghook spotted Serenity in her chair.

"Is that Serenity?" he asked.

"Yes," said Tenor.

"The other dragons told me about her," said Fanghook. "But their descriptions didn't do her justice, she's so lovely."

"Don't wake her up," Tenor whispered harshly. "She hasn't been sleeping too well." Fanghook looked back at her.

"That's too bad," he said, quieter. "The older dragons said she can speak to us in our language."

"She can indeed," said Tenor. "She's the only human in the world with that talent." At that moment Gustav called for his dragon. Fanghook turned to see him coming towards the yurt.

"Don't worry Prime Minister," he whispered. "I'll make sure Gustav doesn't bother her, or you." Tenor seemed pleased to hear this.

"Thank you," he said. Gustav approached them.

"Come on Fanghook we're heading for the arena," he said. "With Astrid." Fanghook gurgled in excitement.

"Will you come watch sire?" he asked Tenor. "It will give her some peace and quiet." He gestured to Serenity.

"Alright," Tenor said. "I'll watch for a little bit." Gustav mounted Fanghook and took off. Tenor turned to his dragon healer, she hadn't moved all day. He gently nuzzled her face. He was suddenly concerned, she felt feverish. She suddenly coughed roughly.

"Serenity, wake up," he said. He nudged her. She opened her eyes and sat up. She coughed again. She sounded awful.

"Are you feeling ok?" Tenor asked. "And I want the truth." Serenity sighed heavily.

"I feel heavy and tired," she said softly. "Where's my water canteen?" Tenor went over to where his saddle hung, and retrieved the water canteen. He handed it to Serenity. Luckily it was still quite full of glacier water. She drank half of it. She felt slightly better, but still heavy.

"You should go lie down," Tenor said. "You'll be more comfortable." Serenity just nodded. She heaved herself to her feet. She almost fell over, and clutched Tenor for support. He draped a black wing around her shoulders. He quietly led her into the yurt and over to her bed. She laid down and closed her eyes again. Soon she was sleeping peacefully. Tenor left her in peace.

He flew to the arena and landed on the edge of it, next to Stormfly. Gustav, Fanghook, and Astrid were in the arena. Astrid didn't look to happy about being a babysitter. She set up a set of targets and planned to practice Stormfly's aim. Stormfly turned when she heard a dragon landing next to her.

"Oh Tenor, thank Draco it's you," she sounded both surprised and relieved.

"I didn't mean to startle you," Tenor said.

"That's ok sir," said Stormfly. "Fanghook's been eyeballing me." Tenor looked over at Fanghook and saw that she spoke the truth.

"Doesn't he know that you have a mate already?" Tenor asked. Stormfly looked at him.

"How do you know that?" she asked. Tenor huffed.

"Serenity has been to your hatching grounds," he said. "She told me. Plus Queen Aurora sees things with her magic, she knows the names of every dragon." Suddenly Astrid called Stormfly over. The Nadder stomped over to her. Tenor sat on his haunches. Astrid mounted her dragon and they took off. Astrid had instructed Gustav to launch a barrel into the sky on command. Astrid and Stormfly circled the arena. Astrid called to Gustav to launch a barrel. But Gustav was distracted, and forgot. Stormfly locked eyes with the target, tucked under Gustav's arm. She shot several spikes at the barrel. They were heading right for Gustav. Astrid threw her ax and it blocked the spikes. Tenor soon lost interest and left. He spread his wings and flew off. Hiccup and Toothless pulled along side him.

"Hey Tenor what did you do with the Dragon Eye?" Hiccup asked.

"I put it away," Tenor said. "Do you need it?"

"Yeah," Hiccup said. "I'll go get it."

"No," Tenor said quickly. "I'll get it, Serenity's not feeling very well. I don't want her disturbed."

"I won't wake her up I promise," Hiccup insisted. Tenor considered.

"Very well," he said. "It's in the trunk at the foot of the bed." He led the way to the yurt and they landed in the yard. Hiccup dismounted. Toothless followed him inside. Tenor waited uneasily. Inside Hiccup saw the trunk, at the foot of the bed. Serenity was still sleeping. Hiccup opened the trunk and began searching for the Dragon Eye. Toothless looked over at Serenity. She did look very sick. Her face was pale, and sweaty. There were dark shadows under her eyes. Toothless watched her incase she woke up. Hiccup pulled the Dragon Eye out of its hiding place. As he withdrew it the lens fell out, hit the floor with a loud thud, and slid under the bed. Serenity stirred in her sleep. Toothless reached his tail under the bed and slid the lens back out. Hiccup picked it up and put it back into the Dragon Eye.

"Let's go bud," he whispered. Toothless looked at Serenity and saw her eyes open a few inches. She saw the Night Fury.

"Toothless?" she said hoarsely.

"It's okay," Toothless purred. "We're just getting the Dragon Eye, you can go back to sleep." Serenity coughed. She closed her eyes again and fell asleep. Hiccup and Toothless left quickly and quietly, closing the door behind them. Tenor was pacing around the yurt.

"Thanks Tenor," Hiccup said.

"Sure," Tenor said. "So, what do you plan to do about Gustav?"

"I promised him I'd train him to be a dragon rider," Hiccup said. "I didn't think it would be so soon."

"Sounds to me like you're procrastinating it," Tenor said. "That's never a good thing."

"Dragon riding is very dangerous," Hiccup said. "Gustav was way too young."

"I've seen humans ride dragons who were way younger," Tenor said. "Serenity was learning to ride when she was no older than five years old."

"But she's a lot more mature," Hiccup said.

"She wasn't always," Tenor said

"Very well," Hiccup said. "I'll observe him, and see if he has what it takes to be one of us." Tenor let that slide for now. Hiccup got on his dragon and flew off. Tenor went inside the yurt. Serenity was very still. Tenor didn't know a thing about human illnesses, and that bothered him. Serenity was a very good dragon healer, she was able to help any who were sick or injured. But when she was sick or injured she had no one. He laid down by her bed. He nuzzled her face before he put his head on his paws and fell asleep.

Up at Hiccup's hut, Gustav and Fanghook were waiting for Hiccup. He had dropped of the Dragon Eye. He was about to use it when Toothless began begging him for a flight. He gave in since they hadn't gone flying in awhile. Gustav had nothing to do. He'd been all over the outpost, visiting the other rider's huts. But they seemed to get mad with everything he did. He got so bored that he began playing around with Hiccup's things. He found one of Hiccup's old metal legs that he had grown out of. Gustav hobbled about on it. Fanghook just watched amused. Suddenly Gustav accidentally trod on Fanghook's tail. This startled the dragon and he flamed up. He set fire to one of Toothless's metal tail fins that were hanging on the wall. They both tried in vain to put it out. Then Gustav spotted the Dragon Eye, and the orange light coming out of it. He picked it up and pointed it at the wall. The Dragon Eye projected what looked like a map. Gustav was very interested.

"It looks like a map," he said. "That leads to treasure." He punched the air in excitement.

"We are so in Fanghook," he exclaimed. Fanghook let out a happy roar. Without a moment's hesitation Gustav copied the map onto a piece of paper. Then he led Fanghook outside, Gustav also brought along the Dragon Eye just in case. He mounted his dragon and they took off. They flew away from the outpost, not knowing that they had been spotted by Hiccup and Toothless.

"Where does that kid think he's going?" Hiccup muttered. He steered Toothless after Fanghook.

Fanghook and Gustav flew over the ocean, following the map. They flew for hours, the sun began to set. Soon the island came into view and they descended towards it. They land on a beach in front of a gaping cave. Fanghook looked over Gustav's shoulder at the map.

"This way," Gustav said. Fanghook followed him inside. A part of him knew that he should fly back and get the older dragons, but curiosity got the better of him. They went into the dark cave. The ground shook several times, and rocks fell. When it got too dark to see, Fanghook bust into flames. A spark flew from Fanghook and landed on the map, burning it. Gustav dropped it before it burned him. The map burned into nothing. But Gustav wasn't worried. He pulled out the Dragon Eye and the fire from Fanghook lit it up and it project the map onto a bare patch of rock, up side down. Then using the Dragon Eye as a torch, Gustav led the way deeper into the cave, which kept crumbling like dried cheese. Suddenly the ground shook more violently. The ground opened up from under Gustav's toes. Gustav almost lost his balance, he stayed upright, but dropped the Dragon Eye in the process. He spotted it rolling towards the crevasse that had suddenly appeared. He hastily ran after it. It rolled off the edge and Gustav jumped after it, managing to snag it. But now he was falling to his death. Something grabbed his arm and stopped him from falling. He looked up as Hiccup pulled him onto safe ground. Gustav looked up at Hiccup and Toothless, clutching the Dragon Eye. Naturally Hiccup and Toothless were glaring firmly at him.

They quietly made their way back to Dragon's Edge. The sun was well set by the time they landed at the outpost. The other riders were there in the club house eating diner. Tenor was present as well. He had just caught them all fish. He was still worried about his sick rider; but he knew he had to be the strong one, like she usually was when he was sick. They all looked up when Hiccup, Gustav, and their dragons barged in. Hiccup was furious. He began pacing in front of the door.

"Of all the irresponsible, reckless, things," he shouted, sounding more like Stoic than himself. "Using the Dragon Eye was the worst thing you could have done. What were you thinking?" Gustav looked very sorry.

"I just thought if I came back here with the treasure, then you would let me be one of you," Gustav said, timidly. Hiccup pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.

"First of all you're not ready to be a dragon rider," he said after he calmed down a bit. "Secondly we've already been there, that whole island is honeycombed and crumbling."

"I'm sorry," Gustav said, and he meant it. He felt like he was shrinking under Hiccup's angry glare.

"You should be," Hiccup all but growled. "You could have been killed, Fanghook could have been killed. Now go get some rest, we'll talk about more tomorrow." They all filed out of the club house; except Hiccup, Toothless, and Tenor. Hiccup turned to Tenor, who looked really worried.

"How's Serenity?" Hiccup asked.

"She's slowly improving," Tenor said. "She's drinking water, and getting out of bed a few times."

"Well, good luck with her," said Hiccup. "If you need anything, don't hesitate." Tenor smiled at him.

"Thanks, but it looks like you have other things to worry about," he said, he looked almost amused.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with Gustav," Hiccup said, annoyed.

"It'll come to you," Tenor said. "And try to remember that you were that age once." Without waiting for a response Tenor picked up the Dragon Eye where Gustav had left it, and flew out the door. Hiccup was left to wonder. He was deep in thought as he and Toothless headed for their hut. Everyone was out in minuets.

The next morning the riders and dragons, Tenor included, gathered in the club house. Hiccup was looking around for Gustav and found him and Fanghook missing. He grew concerned. He flew to the club house on Toothless.

"Has anyone seen Gustav?" Hiccup asked. "I can't find him." The Twins and Snotlout all cheered at this news.

"Do you think he went back to Berk?" asked Tenor.

"I hope so," said Hiccup. "We should look around. Will you join us Tenor?" Tenor considered.

"For a while," he said. "But then I must check on Serenity. She vomited several times last night." Tenor was getting more worried about her. She was trying to get better, but now she had a pounding headache.

Tenor was true to his word. He searched all over Dragon's Edge, calling for Fanghook. But neither Fanghook or Gustav was to be found. Hiccup was getting worried. They gathered on the cliff beside the yurt.

"No sign of them?" Hiccup asked. They all shook their heads. At that moment Fanghook landed next to them, he seemed uneasy. Toothless ran up to him.

"Fanghook! Where've you been?" he asked. "We've been looking all over for you." Fanghook took a minuet to catch his breath.

"Gustav didn't feel wanted," he said. "So we took off. We planned to head for Berk. But we got captured by the Berserkers. I have a message from Gustav." He turned his head so everyone could see the scroll tied to the young dragon's horn. Hiccup untied the scroll and read it to himself. He was shocked and concerned all at once.

"Dagur," he said finally. "He wants to trade the Dragon Eye for Gustav."

"What can he possibly do with it?" asked Tenor.

"Is it in the yurt Tenor?" Hiccup asked. Tenor nodded. "Go fetch it." Tenor looked confused. But he went towards the yurt and went inside. He was pleased to find Serenity sitting up and leaning against her pillows. She had the Dragon Eye in her lap.

"How are you feeling?" Tenor asked. Serenity coughed, clutching the Dragon Eye.

"No change," she said. She coughed again. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, and folded her hands over the Dragon Eye.

"You think you can come outside?" Tenor asked. Serenity nodded.

"If you'll help me," she added. She stood up and leaned on Tenor. He led her outside, bringing the Dragon Eye with them.

Outside they found the other riders waiting. Tenor told Serenity the situation. She clutched the Dragon Eye in her fist.

"Hey Serenity," Hiccup said. "Nice to see you outside."

"The fresh air helps," Serenity said. She fiddled with the Dragon Eye, then handed it over to Hiccup. He turned and put in Toothless's saddlebags. Serenity put something in her pocket. She leaned more heavily on her dragon. Soon Hiccup was ready to go. Then an idea came to him.

"Tenor, do you think you can stay out of Dagur's sight?" he asked.

"Staying hidden is my specialty," Tenor said.

"Will you follow me to this meeting point?" Hiccup asked. "And attack if things go wrong." Tenor was about to answer when Serenity started coughing again. He lowered his head and nuzzled her.

"You should go Tenor," Serenity whispered. "Gustav is in more danger than I am. I'll be okay."

"Very well," Tenor said. "You go on ahead, I'll catch up." Hiccup clicked the stirrup and Toothless took off. Tenor escorted Serenity to her chair and she sat down. Then Tenor removed his armor, leaving his crown on. When he made sure Serenity was sleeping, he spread his wings and took off after Hiccup.

He caught up with Toothless easily. He flew over the Night Fury, letting out a roar to let them now he was behind them. They reached Dagur's armada and Toothless landed on the deck. Tenor circled over the lead ship. He was far enough to not be seen, but close enough to eavesdrop. He spotted Gustav and Fanghook among the Berserkers.

"Hand them over Dagur," Hiccup barked. Dagur laughed.

"Roll the Dragon Eye over first," he ordered. Hiccup dismounted and pulled out the Dragon Eye. He rolled it across the deck towards Dagur, who picked it up. He examined it greedily.

"Now come on Gustav," Hiccup said. Gustav hesitated.

"Thing is Hiccup," he said. "I've been treated by these guys way better than you and dragon riders." Hiccup was surprised by this.

"Gustav you don't know what you're doing," he said.

"You could have at least given me a chance Hiccup," said Gustav. "But all you said was that I wan't good enough. I'm staying here."

"You're going to regret this Gustav," Hiccup warned. He mounted Toothless and flew up to where Tenor circled. Toothless pulled alongside him.

"What do you plan on doing now?" Tenor asked.

"We have to follow them," Hiccup said. "Dagur isn't going to keep Gustav for long." Tenor nodded in agreement. Then he looked down at the ship. He saw Dagur trying to make the Dragon Eye work. Fanghook lit up and the Dragon Eye projected the map onto the floor. But when Dagur tried to turn the dials or push the buttons, he couldn't make the Dragon Eye change the images. It was only showing him whatever was last shown.

"Hmm," Tenor said. "It seems Dagur can't access the Dragon Eye all of a sudden. It's only showing him what's locked in its memory." Hiccup followed his glance, and saw for himself.

"That's an amazing stroke of luck," he said. The ship turned and sailed in the direction the map showed them. Hiccup clicked the stirrup and steered Toothless after it. Tenor shot up higher and also followed the ship.

Dagur followed the map to the honeycombed island. Gustav and Fanghook were right beside him, oblivious to the two black dragons following them. When they reached the island they got off their ships. Dagur ordered his Berserkers to wait outside. Dagur, Gustav, and Fanghook walked into the cave, following the map. As they went deeper, the ground shook constantly and rocks fell all around them. Gustav led the way using the Dragon Eye as a torch. No one said a word as they trudged onwards. Suddenly Gustav saw something black moving ahead of him in the shadows, and he could have sworn he saw a flash of red. Thinking quickly he spun around and shined the light from the Dragon Eye into Dagur's eyes, momentarily blinding him. With Dagur distracted Gustav ran for it. He hid behind a bolder and put a hand over the light. Unfortunately Dagur found him easily.

"Ha! Gotcha," Dagur exclaimed.

"No, we've got you," said a voice behind him. Dagur turned to Hiccup and Toothless on a ledge. Toothless's mouth was full of fire, Fanghook at his flank. The ground shook and split open. Dagur growled in anger. He suddenly grabbed Gustav and flung him towards the Night Fury, grabbing the Dragon Eye in the process. Gustav got to his feet, slightly dizzy.

"Give us the Dragon Eye Dagur," Hiccup said sternly.

"I don't think so," Dagur taunted.

"I'm not asking," said Hiccup. Suddenly Dagur heard a growl behind him. He turned to see Tenor in his face, gnashing his black teeth. Dagur remembered this dragon, and he was genuinely afraid of him. Tenor hissed and snapped his jaws at Dagur. The ground shook again, and Dagur lost his balance. Tenor swung his tail into Dagur, knocking him over. Dagur dropped the Dragon Eye and it fell into a crevasse. Gustav dove after it, Hiccup steered Toothless after Gustav, and Fanghook dove after Toothless. Tenor was left to deal with Dagur. The Berkians fell through a shower of rocks. Gustav managed to grab the Dragon Eye. Hiccup was about to grab him but a rock hit Toothless's wing, causing him to spin out of control. Hiccup fell off the saddle. Toothless lost control of his flight. Hiccup tried swimming through the air to his dragon. They were fast approaching the ground. Hiccup soon managed to get back into the saddle and opened the tail. Toothless snapped open his wings and halted his decent. Fanghook swooped down and grabbed Gustav, who still had the Dragon Eye. They landed on the ground, safe. Hiccup turned to Gustav.

"That was quite impressive Gustav," he said. "They way you handled yourself back there with Dagur, maybe you do have what it takes to be a dragon rider."

"Really?" Gustav said, pleased.

"Someday," Hiccup added.

"I'll take someday," Gustav said. The island shook again. Fanghook took off towards an opening. Hiccup was about to follow, when he spotted something. There was a box perched on a group of stalagmites. Hiccup jumped off Toothless, ran and grabbed it. He lifted the lid to see what was inside it.

"What the Thor is this?" he muttered to himself. The ground shook again. Hiccup got back on Toothless and took off, taking the box with him. They all turned in the direction of Dragon's Edge.

Back at the beach Tenor dropped Dagur in front of the Berserkers, then landed. Dagur got to his feet and drew his sword. The other Berserkers drew their weapons. Tenor snarled, his head low, and his tail swishing back and forth.

"Get it," Dagur ordered. Three Berserkers charged at Tenor, but he was ready for them. They lunged at each other and the air was filled with the sound of metal on talons. Tenor bit them with his venomous teeth, and they dropped dead instantly. Dagur was surprised by this, and a bit scared. He ordered four more Berserkers forwards. Tenor defeated them just as easily. Dagur sent more Berserkers forward, and Tenor killed each and every one. Before he knew it Dagur had lost half of his army.

"Retreat," he ordered. The rest of the Berserkers ran to their ship. Tenor ran after them and managed to kill six more Berserkers. Satisfied for the time being Tenor spread his wings and headed back towards Dragon's Edge.

Back at the outpost the riders were congratulating Gustav on double crossing Dagur. They offered him an opportunity to stay on Dragon's Edge. But he said he had to get back to Berk. He got on Fanghook and took off. Fishlegs turned to Hiccup who was holding the Dragon Eye and the thing he found in the cave.

"What was in that box?" he asked. Hiccup held up his discovery. It was a wooden hexagon with a gem in the middle.

"A new lens cool," said Fishlegs excitedly.

"Turns out the Dragon Eye was leading us to treasure," said Hiccup.

"And to think we never would have found it without Gustav," said Astrid. They turned to see Gustav and Fanghook flying into the clouds. Suddenly Tenor landed next to the riders. He folded his wings.

"Tenor! what happened to you?" asked Hiccup. "You didn't come back with us." Tenor sat on his haunches.

"I think I just became Dagur's worst nightmare," he said. "I single talonly killed half his army." He clicked his jaws together.

"Wow," said Tuffnut. "Maybe you can be Ruffnut's worst nightmare." That earned him a punch from Ruffnut.

"I should go check on Serenity," Tenor said.

"Do you think she has enough strength to check Toothless's wing?" Hiccup asked. "It got hit by a falling rock." Tenor considered.

"I suppose so," he said.

He followed them to the yurt. Serenity was in her chair, wake. She still looked pale and exhausted. She looked up when Hiccup and the two black dragons came up to her.

"How are you feeling?" Tenor asked.

"Better," Serenity whispered. "I feel better when I'm out here."

"Toothless's wing got hit by a rock," Hiccup said. "Can you check to make sure it's not too badly damaged?" Serenity sat up and beckoned Toothless forward. He walked up to her and pointed to the wing that was hit. She examined it and found a tiny patch of exposed skin on the arm of the wing, as well as a shallow cut.

"It's not too bad," she said. "Just a small scrape." She reached for her bag and set it on her lap. She opened it and pulled out her jar of Night Fury saliva. She put a small amount on the wound, followed by a band-aid.

"There that should do it," she said. Toothless nuzzled her gratefully. She gently scratched his neck. Hiccup slid the new lens into the Dragon Eye and handed it to Tenor. Serenity watched with a knowing look.

"Dagur didn't get very much out of that did he?" she said. They all looked at her shocked.

"How come you know about that?" asked Hiccup. Serenity reached into the pocket of her riding jacket and pulled something out in her closed fist. She opened her hand and showed them the Snow Wraith tooth from the Dragon Eye. Tenor handed her the Dragon Eye and she put the tooth back in it's keyhole.

"That was a very smart move," said Hiccup. Serenity smiled. Hiccup then turned to Tenor.

"Tenor if anything happens to us," he said. "Take the Dragon Eye with you, and make sure Dagur never gets his hands on it." Tenor gave an understanding nod.

"Come on bud," Hiccup said. Toothless gave Serenity a quick lick then followed his rider back towards their hut. Serenity leaned in her chair and put the Dragon Eye in her medical bag, there was just enough room for it.

"Why is Hiccup giving me this artifact?" she asked.

"Dagur still doesn't know about you," Tenor said. "As a result you're the best hiding place for it." Serenity heaved herself to her feet, leaning on Tenor's shoulders. The two of them turned and went inside, taking the bag with them.


	7. Reign of Fireworms

**Reign of Fireworms**

Tenor was laying in the shadow of the yurt. The sun was out and he was letting his wings soak it up. Serenity was sitting in her chair sewing. Her strength had returned to her. They were both waiting for the moon to come out so they could go night flying. They watched the riders go about their activities. Fishlegs and Meatlug were out counting the dragons of Dragon's Edge. The place was pretty quiet. No one had asked Serenity for the Dragon Eye, which she kept in her medical bag. She rarely used it herself. At that moment Hiccup and Toothless came to the yurt, followed by Fishlegs and Meatlug. Serenity looked up from her sewing.

"Come for the Dragon Eye?" she guessed.

"Actually there's a more serious issue," said Hiccup. "Fishlegs spotted Fireworms."

"Fireworms?" said Tenor waking up from his doze. "But there are no hives around here."

"Exactly," said Fishlegs. "We're going to fly over and see how many there are."

"Will you help?" asked Hiccup. "We may need a translator." Serenity put her sewing away. She picked up her medical bag and Tenor got to his feet. Serenity put her bag onto the saddle, then mounted. Hiccup and Fishlegs mounted their dragons and they all took off. They gathered with the other riders. The dragons liked it when Serenity and Tenor flew with them, they didn't want their friends to be isolated because they were different. They flew over the island and spotted several Fireworm dragons. They set small fires where ever they touched. More dropped from the sky like tiny meteors.

"Where are they coming from?" asked Astrid.

"They must be scouts," said Fishlegs. "They fly ahead to find a new place to build their hives. It looks like they've found it."

"When will they get here?" asked Snotlout.

"If it's a big swarm, they should get here around next week," said Fishlegs.

"We need to fireproof the island as much as possible," said Hiccup.

"I can go warn Silvereye about this," Serenity offered. "It is their island to begin with."

"Good idea," said Hiccup. Serenity steered Tenor towards the Night Terrors' cave.

They landed in front of the cave and Serenity dismounted. Silvereye came out flanked by two black Night Terrors.

"Hello," Silvereye said. "What brings you here?"

"We've come to warn you all," said Serenity. "There's a swarm of Fireworm dragons heading this way. They've sent scouts to find a place to build a hive and this is the island they picked." The Night Terrors looked at each other in concern.

"When are the others coming?" asked Silvereye.

"Next week," Serenity said.

"And I'm supposed to just hand over my island to the Fireworms?" said Silvereye, annoyed.

"No you don't," said Tenor. "We still have a week to come up with a plan. You can fight off the Fireworms." Silvereye seemed to be interested.

"Come in," he said. "We should start planning at once." Tenor followed the Night Terrors into their cave, then Tenor realized Serenity wasn't following him. He turned to see that she hadn't moved.

"You coming?" he asked.

"I'm not really good at planning things," Serenity said. "What use would I be?"

"Come in anyway," said Silvereye. "We like you." Serenity sighed and followed them inside. Serenity sat on a low ledge and Tenor laid down in a circle of Night Terrors.

"What do you have in mind Prime Minister?" asked Silvereye.

"First tell me what you know about Fireworms," Tenor said.

"I don't know a whole lot," said Silvereye. "I just know that they're a distant relative of the Monstrous Nightmare. They live in massive swarms like bees, following a leader." Tenor considered, that was all he knew about Fireworms as well.

"I've met the Fireworm Queen," Serenity said.

"Really?" said Silvereye. Then one of the black Night Terrors spoke up.

"I know, if we knew what the Fireworm Queen looked like we could all form that shape," she said. "Do either of you have a picture of her."

"I might," said Serenity. She got to her feet and went over to Tenor. She opened her medical bag and pulled out the Dragon Eye. Tenor looked a bit surprised.

"I don't think I've ever seen you use that," he said.

"I know," Serenity said. "But it might have images of the Fireworm Queen." She turned her attention to the Dragon Eye. She pushed the Stoker Class button then held it up to Tenor. He lit it up with his purple fire. It projected images onto the wall of the Monstrous Nightmare. Serenity turned the dials, flipping through the images. Soon she found the image of the Fireworms. Sure enough there was an image of the Fireworm Queen.

"Does this help?" Serenity asked.

"Yes, perfect," said Silvereye. He and his Night Terrors studied the image. Serenity held the Dragon Eye still.

"You think we should tell those humans?" asked one of the black Night Terrors.

"No, you should surprise them," Tenor said. "I bet they'll never see it coming."

"That'll be fun," said Silvereye. "I like it when those humans are taken by surprise." Tenor chuckled.

"Well we should give this a test run," said Silvereye. "Since we've never done it before." The Night Terrors murmured in agreement. Serenity turned the Dragon Eye off and mounted Tenor and all the dragons flew out of the cave.

Serenity and Tenor flew back to their yurt, Silvereye insisted. They landed and Serenity dismounted. They found the riders' dragons waiting for them.

"Hey there you two are," said Belch. "You've been gone a while."

"Well Silvereye had to be notified," Tenor said. "They have a plan to get rid of the Fireworms when they come."

"Ooh, really?" said Stormfly.

"Yes," Tenor said. "But they want it to be a surprise."

"Okay," said the dragons in unison.

"Hey guess what?" said Barf. "Ruff and Tuff found a stone on the island that says they own this island."

"Rubbish," said Tenor. "How can a rock give them ownership of this island. It belongs to the Night Terrors."

"Humans are greedy," said Hookfang. "They want this whole planet to themselves."

"What does Hiccup plan to do about it?" asked Tenor, as Serenity sat in her seat. Toothless chuckled.

"He plans to let the Twins deal with the Fireworm problem," he said. "To show them how hard it can be to be a leader."

"That'll be fun to watch," Tenor said. Serenity leaned back, the Dragon Eye in her lap. The dragons laid around her, keeping her company. They didn't say much as they watched the riders deal with the Twins. Barf and Belch promised to not let the Twins bother Serenity and Tenor, as they knew no other rulers besides the Draconian king and queen. They also knew that Serenity and Tenor had a bigger responsibility with keeping the Dragon Eye hidden from Dagur.

"So, are we ever going to see Re and Aurora again?" asked Meatlug.

"Oh sure," said Tenor. "Once they get their wall built."

"I kind of miss them," said Stormfly. "They would love Dragon's Edge."

"That is a certainty," said Tenor. "Maybe they'll take a break and come out here. I'll ask them when this problem with the Fireworms is over." This seemed to satisfy the dragons for the time being.

They days went on by, ticking down to when the Fireworms would arrived. The Twins continued to act like they owned the island. None of the riders found it fun. They were all dreading the arrival of the Fireworms. The Twins paid it no mind. The dragons were actually enjoying themselves. They found the whole thing with the Twins amusing; making other people do what they wanted all because a rock told them the island was theirs. Hiccup was getting more nervous as the Fireworms started to appear. Little did he know that the island was as good as defended. The Night Terrors had mastered the form of the Fireworm Queen. Tenor and Serenity helped them in anyway they could, Serenity kept the Dragon Eye at hand in case Silvereye needed a reference. Practicing under secrecy was all too easy for them. The riders were still having to put up with the Twins. More and more Fireworms arrived and soon the island started to burn.

All too soon the day came. The Night Terrors were ready with their plan. Serenity and Tenor stayed with them to avoid the fire. The forest was burning slowly. Silvereye had a few Night Terrors keeping a look out for the Fireworm swarm.

"Are those humans going to help us?" asked Silvereye.

"I wouldn't count on it," Tenor said. "But they might." Then he turned to Serenity who was sitting nearby, holding the Dragon Eye.

"Serenity do you want to come out with us?" he asked.

"It's better than staying here worrying about you," Serenity answered. "Since you don't plan on fighting the Fireworms."

"Alright then," Tenor said. Suddenly a black Night Terror flew into the cave.

"They're coming," she announced. Serenity put the Dragon Eye in her medical bag, and mounted Tenor. They all took off and flew over the ocean. The Night Terrors formed the Fireworm Queen. In the distance they all could see a flaming orange cloud rabidly approaching the island. The island was ablaze as the Fireworm Scouts homed in their swarm. The Night Terrors moved their formation high into the clouds. Silvereye planned to come at the Fireworms from behind to made it look more convincing. Serenity and Tenor flew to the outpost to see what the riders were doing. They were pleased to find the riders on their dragons and in the air.

"Hey Serenity where have you guys been?" Hiccup asked.

"I will explain latter," Serenity said. "What have you guys been up to?"

"The Twins found a claim stone with their name on it," Hiccup said. "It says that they own the island. And they've been driving us crazy about it."

"How can a rock give them ownership of this island?" Tenor asked. "I thought it belonged to the Night Terrors."

"It's a viking thing," Hiccup explained. He realized the Draconians weren't accustomed to viking traditions. "Anyway have you guys seen the Night Terrors? Fishlegs couldn't find them." Serenity and Tenor exchanged a smile.

"You don't need to worry about them," Serenity said. "They are quite aware of the danger at hand."

"Then can you guys help us put out this fire?" asked Hiccup.

"Sure," Serenity and Tenor said in unison.

They flew with the riders and helped in anyway they could to keep the fire from burning the outpost. But unfortunately Fireworms started raining down all over. Soon the entire island was on fire, and it would only be a matter of time before it reached the outpost. The riders tried their best, but they could hardly make a dent in the fire. Hiccup ordered everyone to Serenity's yurt. They landed next to it. Luckily it hadn't burned, yet. All the riders were out of breath. Suddenly Fishlegs spotted something in the distance.

"Hiccup look," he cried. They all followed his gaze. Behind the swarm of Fireworms was a large dragon that the riders recognized at once, the Fireworm Queen.

"Okay, we're leaving," Hiccup said, trying not to panic. "Everyone grab what you have to and..." He was suddenly interrupted by Tenor.

"Um that's not the Fireworm Queen," he said. They all looked again. Sure enough the Fireworm Queen was very very dark, inserted of blazing yellow and orange. Serenity clicked the reins and Tenor took off. They flew towards the Fireworm Queen, only to find it was actually the Night Terrors doing exactly what they had planned. They all sent happy roars when they saw Serenity and Tenor coming towards them.

"Right on time Silvereye," said Tenor. Silvereye gave a proud smile. Hiccup and Toothless joined them. They were quite impressed.

"Is this why we haven't seen you two for a while?" Hiccup asked.

"Yup," Tenor said. "We would have told you, but we wanted to surprise used the Dragon Eye to give the Night Terrors a reference."

"Well we should find a different island for these Fireworms," Hiccup said. He clicked the stirrup and steered Toothless away from Dragon's Edge.

"Follow the Night Fury," Silvereye called to his squadron. They turned their formation around. Tenor flew next to Toothless. As they flew away from the island the Fireworms fell for the bait. They saw their queen turning around, and since they had never heard of Night Terrors they quickly followed. They soon left Dragon's Edge far behind and headed over the ocean. Hiccup began looking for a place to relocate the Fireworms. He eventually spotted a smaller island that had no greenery on it.

"There," he said. "There's nothing to burn on that island." He steered Toothless towards it. Tenor followed Toothless, the Night Terrors followed Tenor, and the Fireworms followed the Night Terrors. When the Fireworms saw the island they began chattering among themselves and agreed that this island was much nicer. They followed the Night Terrors in the form of their queen down to it. When the Night Terrors had done their part they broke formation. The Fireworms didn't seem to notice. They landed on their new island, satisfied. The Night Terrors joined Tenor, Toothless, and their riders. They turned and headed back to Dragon's Edge, the Night Terrors now forming one giant Night Terror like they usually did.

Back at the outpost, after the fire had been put out, the riders gathered at the claim stone the Twins had found with their name on it. Hiccup's experiment had worked perfectly. The Twins saw how hard it was to be a leader, with a big swarm of Fireworms raining down from the sky and all. Ruff and Tuff gave up and let the island be divided amongst the riders, their dragons, and the Night Terrors. They stared at the claim stone for a few minuets, then Tenor spoke.

"I still don't see how a rock gives ownership of an island," he said.

"You know what Tenor," Hiccup said, cheerfully. "It doesn't. It's just a rock, it doesn't actually give any one ownership of an island when you really think about it." Meatlug stomped up to the claim stone and swallowed it whole. The island now belonged to all.


	8. Crushing It

**Crushing it**

The giant black sea dragon Shark swam through the deep ocean. She was so deep that there was no sunlight. She used her sonar and her night vision to see her way. She was in the far far north. She liked it there, not many humans came this far. For now the ocean was still and peaceful. All of a sudden she felt a disturbance in the water. Her animal instincts told she should act know or dragon lives would be lost. She swam in the direction of the disturbance. She soon came to a bare stretch of ocean floor. The ground was cracking and the glow of magma came through the cracks. In the distance Shark could see a tall underwater volcano, it was erupting. Shark knew that this would cause a tidal wave. She swam to the surface as fast as she could. She suddenly had a vision of an island several hundred miles from the eruption, and there were dragons on it. She knew that if she didn't act know those dragons would drown.

Shark soon reached the surface and breached out of the water. She sat on the surface like a swan. There was no land insight but the island in question was several hundred miles to the south. Shark was a fast swimmer but it still would take her at least a week to get there. She couldn't fly, she needed help. Suddenly she spotted a green Rumblehorn flying near by, catching fish. Shark let out a roar and slapped her whale-like tail to get his attention. The Rumblehorn spotted her and flew over. He looked like a giant, flying dung beetle. He was shiny green with a rusty red head, and a snout like a battle ax. He hovered above Shark.

"Is something wrong Shark?" he asked in a deep monotone voice.

"There's an eruption below," Shark said. "It will create a destructive tidal wave and it will head right for an island several miles to the south from here. There are dragons there that need to be warned. I don't think I can swim fast enough to warn them. Can you fly there and warn them?" The Rumblehorn looked to the south.

"Yes ma'am I can," he said. "You leave it to me." He turned and head for the island. Shark dove back into the water with a wave of her tail.

The Rumblehorn flew towards the island, and soon he reached it. He spotted a human development. Shark hadn't said anything about humans on the island. But the Rumblehorn figured he should get them off the island as well. This was a difficult task as humans were stupid and didn't listen to anyone, not even to other humans. He took a good look at the development. If he destroyed it, then the humans would have to leave. He landed on the island, and got right to work.

* * *

One night Hiccup had asked Snotlout to stay up and watch for the rouge dragon that had been trashing their outpost every night. Fishlegs had suggested that they ask Serenity to negotiate with the dragon. But Hiccup felt that this time round they should try to solve this problem, without her help. When she offered to help, he politely turned her down. Both she and Tenor stayed in their yurt, and waited.

Snotlout was about to fall asleep when suddenly the rope tied to Hookfang's horn was yanked. The Monstrous Nightmare was so startled that he spat fire. This woke up the other riders and dragons. Hiccup ran to his map to check where they had set dragon traps. Then the riders mounted their dragons and headed towards the trapped dragon. Serenity and Tenor came along as well, Hiccup didn't want them to feel left out.

When they found the trapped dragon they all landed. The trap in question was a netter trap. They could see something hanging in it.

"Get me out of here," came Gobber's irritated voice. No one moved. Then Tenor shot the trap down with a plasma blast. Gobber hit the ground with a grunt. He got to his feet.

"Gobber what'd you do with our Rumblehorn?" asked Tuffnut stupidly.

"Rumblehorn? What's a Rumblehorn?" asked Gobber.

"It's a new dragon species," said Fishlegs.

"It's been trying to get us to leave the island," Hiccup said.

"Us, and everything else," said Astrid.

"We've been trying to catch it and relocate it," said Hiccup.

"But instead we caught you," said Snotlout annoyed.

"You're trying to catch a dragon with an old trap that can't even hold a one armed one legged viking?" Gobber scoffed. "Amateurs." They stared heading back towards the outpost. Everyone walked since Gobber had no dragon. Serenity stayed on her dragon, and didn't say much. There wasn't much sound except for their footsteps and the soft clanging of Tenor's armor.

They got back to the outpost with no trouble. Gobber looked around the place.

"Let's see what you've done with the place," he said. They found the outpost in shambles. Most of the buildings were still standing.

"It's trashed," said Astrid.

"Your words, not mine," said Gobber.

"The Rumblehorn must have come through here while we were out," said Hiccup. Gobber went over to Serenity and Tenor, a bit too carelessly.

"So Serenity, what brings a pretty thing like you out here so late?" Gobber asked. Tenor growled when he got too close.

"I don't know," Serenity said. She absentmindedly stroked Tenor's neck. Gobber then turned to Hiccup.

"Hiccup, I've come with disturbing news about your father," he said. Hiccup instantly grew worried.

"Is he okay?" he asked.

"Oh, he's fine," Gobber said. "But then again, not so fine."

"Gobber you're killin' me. Is my dad okay or not?" Hiccup said.

"He's as fit as dragon," said Gobber. "He keeps shouting at everyone, angry all the time."

"That actually sounds like vintage Stoic the Vast to me," said Hiccup.

"You think I would have sailed for two weeks if it were vintage Stoic the Vast?" said Gobber. "He's driving the village crazy."

"Ok, I guess I should check it out," Hiccup said. "You want to ride back on Toothless?"

"No thank you Hiccup," Gobber said. "I think I'll stay here and help with this Rumblehorn problem." Hiccup mounted Toothless. Then he turned to Serenity, who was still mounted on Tenor.

"Why don't you guys come along?" Hiccup said. "You can restock on supplies." Serenity looked down at Tenor.

"We could get some more apples," Tenor said.

"Alright," Serenity said. She checked to make sure she had her medical bag, and the Dragon Eye which was concealed inside it. Toothless took off and Tenor followed.

They flew over the ocean in silence. Tenor navigated, as he was the best at navigating at night. They didn't say anything as they made their way to Berk. By the time they reached it, the sun was well risen. Tenor and Toothless landed in the plaza, which was unusually quiet. Serenity and Tenor ran up to the hospital to stock up on apples and bandages. Hiccup looked around the village, in search of Stoic. Suddenly there came shouting from the armory. It sounded like Stoic was shouting at Sven. Hiccup went over to the armory, just as Stoic came storming out. He completely ignored Hiccup and stocked off. Sven came out shortly afterwords.

"Sven what's going on?" Hiccup asked. Sven seemed all to relieved to see Hiccup.

"Hiccup! thank Thor you're here," he said. "Your father is driving me crazy."

"Well you did have the weapons out of order," Hiccup pointed out.

"But yesterday he wanted them lined up by length," said Sven. "And before that it was by pointedness, and before that by name." He got more upset with each syllable.

"Don't worry Sven I will talk to him," Hiccup assured him. He turned and went after Stoic, Toothless at his heels.

They found Stoic in the fields where Gothi was supposed to be plowing. Stoic was shouting at her about what a bad job she was doing. Gothi spotted Hiccup arriving and yanked him over with her staff. She started scribbling sharply in the dirt.

"Hey, Gothi." Hiccup said. "You know personally, I have no idea what he's talking about. You are the best plower in all of Berk." Gothi scribbled some more.

"Yes, I will talk to him," Hiccup assured her. At that moment Serenity rode by on Tenor, stocked up on supplies. Her bag was so full now that she had to put the Dragon Eye in her saddlebags. Stoic spotted them and seemed to ease up a bit.

"Ah Serenity good to see you," he bellowed, stomping up to her. "What brings you back here?"

"Stocking up on food and supplies," Serenity said. She was slightly scared, but she knew that Stoic couldn't do anything to her as long as she was on Tenor.

"I hope you'll stick around for a bit longer," Stoic said. "It's nice to have someone who listens to me for once."

"Hmm," Serenity said. "Yes, I heard your village is driving you crazy. It must be overwhelming."

"See? You understand," Stoic said. "I don't suppose you would know anything about plowing? Gothi hasn't been doing it right."

"Umm, with all due respect sir," Serenity said. "I am merely a humble servant to my king and queen. I only know how to plant flowers and trees, and no nothing about plowing."

"Ah, that's okay," Stoic said. "I appreciate your honesty. Folks around here seem to only tell me what they think I want to hear."

"I remember Re being in a similar situation," Serenity said. "It almost drove him into insanity."

"And what did he do?" Stoic asked. Serenity considered.

"He spent some time by himself, and let off steam," Serenity said. "When he got back some hours later, everything seamed to work perfectly." Stoic pondered this.

"Then I will give that a try," he said. "Thank you for your advice."

"Glad to be of help," Serenity said. She turned to go but Stoic spoke again.

"Why don't you come down to the arena with me?" he said. "I enjoy talking to you." Serenity and Tenor exchanged a glance.

"Should've kept your mouth shut," Tenor hissed in Dragontongue.

"Well since Dragon's Edge has no need of me at the moment," Serenity said. She turned Tenor around and followed Stoic towards the arena. Gothi, Hiccup, and Toothless watched them leave. Gothi whirled on Hiccup. She scribbled some more.

"Hey watch the language," said Hiccup. "He's still my father." He mounted Toothless and headed for the arena.

Serenity, Tenor, and Stoic were there already. Serenity stayed in the saddle where she was safe. Stoic was throwing axes at a bullseye on the wall. He somehow was still able to talk.

"You know Serenity, you remind me of my wife Valka," he said, in between ax throws.

"Really?" Serenity said. "How so?"

"She had the same skills and was just as beautiful," Stoic said. "She also didn't see dragons as evil."

"Hmm, that would explain a few things," Serenity said. "What exactly happened to her? If you don't mind me asking."

"She was carried off by a dragon, back when Hiccup was a baby," Stoic said. Tenor looked confused.

"Sounds like what happens in some of the books I've read," Serenity said. "A dragon carries off a young maiden and keep her hostage in their cave. Then a knight in shining armor comes and rescues her, slaying the dragon." She shivered at the last bit.

"And how exactly did the knight find her?" Stoic asked.

"He already knew where the dragon's cave was, and rode there on his horse," Serenity said. "I've always wondered what it would be like to be carried off by a dragon."

"You have been carried off by a dragon," Tenor pointed out in Dragontongue. "And it didn't turn out so nice. You were held hostage by a Death Song."

"And who exactly would come to rescue you?" Stoic asked. Serenity stroked Tenor's neck.

"I'm sure Tenor would," she said. "My true knight was taken by the sea." Her face grew sad. Stoic was about say something, when there came the sound of flapping wings. Toothless flew through the gate and landed. Hiccup dismounted.

"Hiccup!" Stoic cried, throwing the last ax over his shoulder. He ran to his son and pulled him into a rib-cracking hug. Toothless went over and stood next to Tenor.

"Good to see you son," Stoic bellowed.

"Good to see you too dad," Hiccup wheezed. Stoic let him go and Hiccup staggered for a moment, clutching his ribs.

"So dad, what brings you all the way to the Academy?" Hiccup asked.

"Serenity made the suggestion I blow off steam," Stoic said. "It seems to have worked." Toothless looked at Serenity.

"That was quite impressive by the way," Toothless whispered. Serenity blushed.

"I feel braver when I'm mounted on a dragon," she said. They turned to watch the two vikings. Sven came into the arena, looking timid.

"Stoic I just finished arranging those weapons," he squeaked. "By deadliness just like you wanted." Stoic snorted angrily.

"And who said I wanted them that way, does any one listen?" he roared. He was about to charge at Sven but Hiccup got in his way.

"Hey, I have a great idea," he said.

"If it involves me throwing an ax at Sven's head let's hear it," Stoic shouted. Sven quickly turned and ran out of the arena.

"How about you come to Dragon's Edge," Hiccup suggested. "You can see the base we've built."

"I would love to Hiccup," Stoic said. "But I have a village to run." Hiccup then spotted a saddle on a rack in the middle of the arena. He recognized it at once.

"Hey isn't that Tnornadoe's old saddle?" he asked.

"Yup," said Stoic.

"Wow you kept it so clean and shiny," Hiccup said.

"Just because a piece of equipment isn't being used doesn't mean I'm going to let it fall into disrepair," said Stoic. Hiccup could tell his dad missed the Thunderdrum he used to ride.

"So anyway," he said. "The reason I came back is because, I have a dragon problem back on the island."

"Dragon problem, what kind of dragon problem?" Stoic asked, interested.

"We've been trying to relocate a new species," Hiccup explain. "I thought I could handle it myself, but we could really use your help."

"Why don't you asked Serenity to talk to it?" asked Stoic.

"She's a last resort," said Hiccup.

"Well, I suppose I could lend a hand," Stoic said. Hiccup seemed pleased. He beckoned Toothless over to him. Both Hiccup and Stoic mounted him and they took off, with Tenor following.

They flew back to Dragon's Edge as fast as they could. No one spoke the whole time. When they got back the riders and Gobber were building a wall. They looked up when Toothless and Tenor landed. Hiccup and Stoic dismounted, Serenity still stayed in the saddle. Stoic looked around at the damage.

"You really weren't kidding about having a dragon problem," said Stoic.

"Is anyone hurt?" Hiccup asked.

"Not really," said Astrid.

"Right, here's what we'll do," Stoic began but Hiccup interrupted.

"Astrid, you and Fishlegs head north," he commanded. "Ruff, Tuff you go south, my dad and I will go east, and Snotlout will stay here." The riders all mounted their dragons. Stoic went over to Serenity and Tenor.

"I wonder if I might borrow Tenor for this," he said. "I'll give him back afterwards." Serenity looked down at Tenor.

"Is that okay with you Tenor?" she asked.

"Sure," Tenor said. Serenity dismounted and headed back to her yurt, taking the Dragon Eye with her. Stoic mounted Tenor. They all took off and disbursed.

Tenor and Toothless flew low over the trees and the cliffs. Stoic looked around at the island, also while keeping an eye out for the Rumblehorn.

"I missed being up in the air," he said. "No wonder you don't come back to Berk anymore, this island is incredible."

"Well we won't be able to keep it for long if we don't relocated this Rumblehorn," said Hiccup.

"When did you start having trouble?" Stoic asked.

"A few weeks ago," said Hiccup. "We didn't even know it was on the island. Then suddenly it was, and it began chasing off wild dragons. Then it started coming after us."

"How many dragons has it killed?" asked Stoic.

"None," said Hiccup. "Not yet anyway. We haven't even gotten a good look at it." They went back to looking for the Rumblehorn. Suddenly three Nadders flew out of the trees. Hiccup and Stoic steered their dragons towards the spot and landed. They expected to find the Rumblehorn but instead found an empty clearing.

"It's gone, again," said Hiccup. "Every time it slips away."

"Well, we didn't see it take off so it has to be on foot," Stoic said.

"It went this way," said Hiccup, pointing to uprooted bushes. They followed the path of destruction in silence. Tenor and Toothless followed them, also keeping alert for the Rumblehorn. Little did they know that they walked right passed it, hidden in the shrubs. He looked out at the two humans and two dragons. He knew getting the humans to leave was going to be a challenge, but clearly his plan A wasn't working. He looked at the two black dragons. His attention was drawn to the larger one in armor. He could have sworn the Draconian crest was on his saddle. This brought him some relief; if one of the Draconian dragons were on this island then perhaps he could talk to him. But he had to hurry, time was running out.

They soon returned to the clearing. They didn't find a single hint of the Rumblehorn. Tenor couldn't help but be impressed by it.

"Well, this guy's certainly giving me a run for my gold," he said.

"Why doesn't he just come out a attack us?" Toothless wondered aloud.

"Would you if you saw two vikings and two dragons outnumbering you?" Tenor said. "Maybe we could compare notes on stalking prey."

"For Draco's sake Tenor, you're starting to sound like Fishlegs," Toothless said.

"Sorry," Tenor said. At that moment Stoic picked up a large log.

"I have an idea how to catch this beast," he said.

"I hope you don't plan on beating it up with that," Tenor said. "Because it won't work."

"No, you'll see Tenor," Stoic said.

A few minuets later Hiccup was mounted on Toothless in the air, circling the clearing with Tenor. Stoic stood in the middle of the clearing with his club and a lasso. He began banging the ground with the club and singing the Berk national anthem. Eventually the Rumblehorn came out of the shrubs. It stared across the clearing at Stoic. Stoic gaped at the dragon, and all his glory. The setting sun gleamed off his green scales in golden light. The dragon growled and gnashed his teeth.

"Oh, you're magnificent," Stoic exclaimed. The dragon roared and charged at Stoic with his head down. Stoic was ready, and when the dragon was close enough he lassoed his nose horn. He got out of the way before the dragon could hook him, still holding onto the rope. He pulled the dragon around. The Rumblehorn tried to take off, but Stoic pulled him back to the ground hard. The dragon growled again. Stoic still held the rope. The dragon got to his feet. Then with a powerful thrust of his wings, he managed to take off. He dragged Stoic high into the air, sailing passed Tenor and Toothless. Suddenly Stoic lost his grip and fell back towards the Earth. The Rumblehorn turned around and dove after him. They fell several feet before Tenor came out of nowhere and caught Stoic on his back. The Rumblehorn flew off. Toothless pulled alongside Tenor.

"We need to head back to the outpost for reinforcements," Hiccup said.

"Agreed," said Stoic. "This isn't over Rumblehorn!" he called over his shoulder as they turned to go. The Rumblehorn landed on a beach and shook the lasso off his nose horn. He sniffed at it, now he had a way to find the humans. He was going to get them off this island, or die trying.

It was night fall when Tenor and Toothless landed at the outpost. Serenity was among them. She got back on her dragon as Hiccup told everyone what had happened. Suddenly Tuffnut pointed at the moon. They followed his gaze and saw the Rumblehorn flying straight towards them.

"Everyone on your dragons," Hiccup ordered. He got back on Toothless, and Stoic got on behind him. They took off, and the Rumblehorn landed. He didn't even seem interested in the riders. He spotted Gobber running around absentmindedly. The other dragons began firing at the Rumblehorn to ward it off, but nothing seemed to phase him.

"That's it," Hiccup said. "It's either Gobber or the Rumblehorn." He patted Toothless on the head, giving him the go ahead. Toothless opened his mouth to fire.

"No, wait Hiccup," Stoic called suddenly, causing Toothless to fire and miss. Hiccup turned to his dad.

"If that dragon wanted to hurt people, he would have done it by now. Something else is going on here," Stoic said. "Set me down next to him." Hiccup steered Toothless down to the ground, the others followed. Gobber was now face to face with the Rumblehorn, who didn't seem to want to kill him. Stoic dismounted and walked up to the dragon, looking him in they eye.

"What is it you really want dragon?" he asked. The Rumblehorn turned his head towards the horizon. Then he turned to the other dragons.

"Tidal wave!" he roared. "Heading this way, you have to get your humans out of here now." The dragons panicked and took off. The Rumblehorn boosted Stoic onto his back and followed. When they were over the ocean the riders spotted something in the distance.

"The sea level is rising," Hiccup called. He steered Toothless towards the tidal wave. It was heading right towards Dragon's Edge. They all flew back to the island, but didn't land.

"We have to stop this wave from destroying the island," Hiccup said.

"How? We don't have anything that can stop it," Snotlout pointed out.

"Gobber's rock wall," Astrid said, remembering. "That should stop the wave."

"Then let's get to it," Hiccup said.

They all pitched in on finishing the wall. They piled rocks and logs, making the wall as tall as possible. All the while the tidal wave came barreling towards them. The Rumblehorn flew towards a nearby sea stack, on the way he caught sight of the flag flying from the roof a yurt on the cliff. Deciding to investigate this later, he shot fire at the sea stack, loosening the top of it. Then he put on a burst of speed and hit the sea stack like a battering ram. The sea stack fell over and landed on top of the wall. The wall was finished in the nick of time; the second the sea stack landed, the wave hit it with a powerful force. The wall did its job well, all the riders felt was a cold mist and a few splashes of water. They all landed as the ocean retreated. The Rumblehorn breathed a sigh of relief, his mission was a success. They all looked at him.

"Man, if he hadden't been trying to get us to leave we would have all been washed away," said Hiccup. "He saved us." The Rumblehorn smiled proudly.

Serenity rode back to her yurt. It hadn't been damaged at all by the wave, but her chair and fire pit had been washed away. Tenor came to a halt and Serenity dismounted. She pulled her spare chair off her saddle and set it up. As she was pulling Tenor's saddle off the Rumblehorn came up to them.

"Pardon this intrusion," he said. "But I noticed your flag flying."

"It's the Draconian flag," Serenity said. The Rumblehorn looked surprised. Serenity was used to this reaction to her talent.

"You speak our language," he said.

"I do indeed," Serenity said.

"I wish I'd known that earlier," the Rumblehorn said. "Would've made my job a whole lot easier."

"How did you know about that wave anyway?" Tenor asked.

"The black sea dragon, Shark," the Rumblehorn said. "She saw an underwater volcano erupting and told me."

"Well, you were defiantly the hero today," Serenity said. She gently stroked his snout.

"So, what are your names?" the Rumblehorn asked.

"I'm Serenity, and that's Tenor the Prime Minister," Serenity said.

"Prime Minister eh?" said the Rumblehorn. "So you're both from the homeland."

"You've been there?" Tenor asked.

"I've been a few times," the Rumblehorn said. "But I've never met any of the royal family. I've never seen a dragon like you Prime Minister." Tenor shrugged.

"I am the only Night Fury/Blackfang hybrid in history," he said.

"Oh, very nice," the Rumblehorn said. "Well, I better head back and get some rest." He turned to go.

"Wait a minuet," Serenity said. "You haven't told us your name." The Rumblehorn turned and smiled.

"I get the feeling that big man will give me a name," he said. He spread his wings and took off. Serenity unsaddled Tenor and took her medical bag off. The two of them went inside and soon went to sleep.

The following morning Gobber and Stoic made ready to head back to Berk. Stoic stroked the head of his new mount. The Rumblehorn was in a much better mood. Hiccup landed Toothless on the docks.

"You know Dad, when I came back to Berk," Hiccup said. "I thought you were missing me, but it was Thornado the whole time."

"Oh, I do miss that magnificent beast," Stoic agreed. "We had a strong bond him and I."

"I couldn't imagine a life without Toothless," Hiccup said, scratching his dragon's ears.

"But this guy, we have a lot in common," said Stoic. "We're both protecters, both leaders."

"And you're both hardheaded," Gobber threw in.

"Hardheaded?" said Stoic, as he mounted the Rumblehorn. "Skullcrushing is more like it. Say that's what we'll call you, Skullcrusher." The Rumblehorn gave a happy roar at the sound of his knew name. He said a silent thanks to Lord Draco for his reward. Stoic turned Skullcrusher towards the open sky. Then Stoic looked over his shoulder.

"And Hiccup," he said quietly. Hiccup looked up at him. "I do miss you, a lot." Hiccup smiled, too happy for words. Skullcrusher spread his wings and took off. Gobber steered his boat after them. Hiccup got on Toothless and flew up to his fellow riders. They all watched the older vikings disappear over the horizon.

"It's an entirely knew class of dragons," said Fishlegs. "We need a name."

"What do say Serenity?" Hiccup said, turning to the Dragon Healer.

"Why me?" Serenity asked.

"You've never had the honor of naming a new species," Hiccup said. "And since I put you in charge of the Dragon Eye, if figure you should have that honor." Serenity thought a second.

"Well, this dragon seemes to have been able to find you very easily," she said. "And Tenor told me what happened in the woods. So I'm thinking this new class, as you call it, should be called the Tracker Class. I've met a few dragons who have the same skill."

"Tracker Class it is," said Hiccup. With the danger passed the dragons and riders went back to their usual activities.


	9. Quake, Rattle, and Roll

**Quake, Rattle, and Roll**

Serenity sat in her chair watching the ocean. Tenor sat next to her with his head in her lap. They were watching the riders and dragons bustle about the outpost. Hiccup was putting up telescopes and the Twins were building a lookout tower. The afternoon was quiet. Suddenly Fishlegs and Meatlug came up to the yurt.

"Hey Serenity, I want to do some more work with the Dragon Eye," said Fishlegs. Serenity didn't say a word but reached into her saddle bag, which was laying next to her chair, and pulled out the Dragon Eye. She handed it to Fishlegs and he left with Meatlug. Serenity leaned back in her seat. She didn't dare move, as Tenor was fast asleep. She smiled down at him and traced the scales on the top of his head.

Down at the outpost Hiccup was finishing up his last telescope. Both Astrid and Snotlout were present with their dragons. Just as they finished the Twins came up to them announcing that they had finished their lookout tower. The other riders, minus Fishlegs, went down to the lookout tower. But when the Twins reviled it, all they saw was open sky and sea.

"You guys don't disappoint," Snotlout laughed. Suddenly Hiccup heard Fishlegs calling him. He quickly mounted Toothless and flew up to the club house.

Upon arriving Hiccup saw the club house lit up by the Dragon Eye, and the puddles of different colored lava on the floor.

"Fishlegs?" Hiccup called.

"Carful where you step," came Fishlegs's warning from above. Hiccup watched his step, taking care not to step in the lava. Then he looked up to see Fishlegs hovering on Meatlug, a large yellow map behind them on the ceiling.

"What's wrong?" Hiccup asked.

"Nothing's wrong," said Fishlegs. "Except I may have made the biggest discovery in the history of dragons." He pointed to a group of symbols on the map.

"Is that...?" Hiccup said, recognizing them.

"Dark Deep," squealed Fishlegs.

"The ancestral home of all the Gronkles," Hiccup said.

"It's real Hiccup," said Fishlegs. "If we can find it, we could unlock so many secrets, not just of the Gronkles but the entire Boulder Class of dragons. Do you understand how amazing this is? I've taken the liberty of charting a course, it's further that we've ever traveled. I'm going to be the first person to ever set foot on Dark Deep."

"Ok, but Toothless and I should go with you just to be safe," said Hiccup.

"Fine you can come too," said Fishlegs, annoyed. "But I'm the first one to set foot on Dark Deep, you can be the second."

"Fair enough," Hiccup said. "And it would probably bring Serenity; we may need a translator."

"Alright," said Fishlegs, still annoyed He and Meatlug flew off. Hiccup grabbed the Dragon Eye, got on Toothless, and followed.

They landed at the yurt. Serenity was brushing the dirt off Tenor's scales. Tenor didn't mind being groomed like he was a horse, the brush felt good on his scales, and Serenity made the brush smell like Dragonnip. They both looked up when Hiccup and Fishlegs landed.

"Hello boys," Serenity said, quite cheerful. "What do I owe this pleasure?"

"Fishlegs found the ancestral home of the Gronkles," Hiccup said, handing her the Dragon Eye.

"You mean Dark Deep?" Serenity said, putting the Dragon Eye in her medical bag. Fishlegs become alert.

"How come you know about it?" he asked.

"I learned about it in Draconian geography books and atlases," Serenity said.

"Have you been there?" asked Hiccup.

"I don't know," Serenity said. "I don't carry a map with me, the only map I need is written in the stars. I've camped on many islands that were occupied by dragons, Gronkles included."

"Anyway, I was wondering if you would go with us to Dark Deep," Hiccup said. "In case we need a translator." Serenity looked at Tenor. He nodded his approval.

"Okay," Serenity said.

"I want to be the first one to set foot on the island," said Fishlegs.

"Fair enough," Serenity said. "I won't even set foot on the island, I'll just circle it." She tossed the brush into her saddlebags. Then she quickly saddled her dragon, putting her medical bag on the back. They all mounted their dragons and took off for Dark Deep.

They flew quite fast over the ocean. Fishlegs sang the whole way. Tenor flew above the other two, he found the singing irritating. He and Serenity sang their own songs, something they did on all their travels. The other two riders were very excited about seeing a new island. Eventually said island came into view. The dragons picked up speed and soon arrived. Both Hiccup and Serenity stayed in the air while Fishlegs landed Meatlug. Fishlegs was practically dancing on the spot. The island was made of black, dried lava. The island spread out under a double peaked mountain. There was a large lake full of fresh water, thousands of smooth stones lay on the bottom. There was no greenery in sight, not even a single dead tree.

"I can see why you travel so much," Hiccup said. "For the thrill of adventure, and knowledge."

"It certainly plays a big part," Serenity said, not bothering to tell the real reason for traveling so much. "But I'm mostly out here helping Tenor find a mate." She patted her dragon's neck. Hiccup and Toothless landed next to Fishlegs. Serenity stayed in the air and circled the island as she promised.

"Where are the Gronkles?" Hiccup wondered aloud. "Do you think we got the wrong island?"

"No," said Fishlegs."That's Gravel Lake, and that's Mt. Grunt." He pointed to the lake, then at the mountain. "This is Dark Deep." Meatlug wondered off and came across a caved in lava tube. She gurgled happily. Fishlegs came to investigate.

"Oh, look Meatlug found some new friends," he said, spotting the three wild Gronkles at the bottom of the lava tube. Meatlug flew into it and approached her fellow Gronkles. There was a red one, a yellow one, and a purple one.

"Hello friends," she called. They turned and saw her.

"Stop," the red one said. "Come no further, it's dangerous." Meatlug stopped.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. "Where is everyone?"

"They had to fly away to safety," said the yellow Gronkle. "There's a big, mean dragon chasing us all way." At that moment Meatlug was joined by Fishlegs, Hiccup, and Toothless. The wild Gronkles seemed surprised.

"Humans?" the purple one said. "And they have a Night Fury."

"It's okay," said Meatlug. "They're harmless." Suddenly the ground rumbled and shook violently. Everyone grew tense. They saw something rolling towards them.

"Runaway boulder!" Hiccup cried. Toothless shot a plasma blast at it, but it made no dent. The boulder came at them at high speed. They turned and ran from it. Hiccup mounted Toothless mid-run. The boulder continued gaining on them. Hiccup and Toothless quickly shoved the Gronkles and Fishlegs out of the way in the nick of time. The boulder rolled passed them. They all breathed a sigh of relief. But then the boulder came rolling back the opposite direction.

"Fishlegs, when was the last time you saw a boulder roll uphill?" Hiccup called.

"Um, never," Fishlegs had time to say before they started running again. They ran into a smaller tunnel off the main one, again the boulder rolled passed. They waited until the boulder was well out of sight, before emerging. Hiccup and Toothless led the way towards the exit. But then the boulder came barreling towards them a third time. Suddenly the boulder burst open to reveal that it was a large dragon. It was hornet shaped, it had spikes all over its body, small powerful wings, and a split bottom jaw. It glared at the intruders. Then it smashed it's tail against the walls of the lava tube. Rocks showered down. Toothless covered the two riders with his wings, sheltering them from the rocks.

"Impressive," said Fishlegs. "Defiantly a Boulder Class. Hey Hiccup, how about Catastrophic Quaken for a name?"

"Well I think we should name it later and focus on not getting killed by it now," said Hiccup. He got on Toothless, and the Night Fury shot plasma blasts at the Quaken. This pissed it off further. It charged at them.

Serenity and Tenor circled the island waiting for the other two to come out of the lava tube. They hadn't said much as they were both admiring the island. They were oblivious to the events going on in the lava tube. Suddenly Hiccup and Fishlegs flew out, followed by the Quaken. It rolled into a ball and fell back towards the ground. It hit the ground, causing a shockwave to ripple though the air. It hit the two dragons, throwing them off balance. Luckily Hiccup and Fishlegs managed to stay in the saddle. The Quaken roared, all three of its jaws open wide. Toothless continued to fire at it, while Fishlegs and Meatlug beckoned the wild Gronkles to follow them. Serenity steered Tenor after them, as they left Dark Deep.

They got back to Dragon's Edge. The three wild Gronkles join all the others that had come from Dark Deep. There were at least fifty of them. They began running around, happy to see each other. The riders weren't very happy.

"So this is where all the Gronkles from Dark Deep went," said Hiccup.

"They must have flown all the way here," said Fishlegs, impressed. "Gronkles may be slow, but they are tenacious."

"What are we going to do Hiccup?" asked Astrid. "They're out of control, they can't stay here."

"Yeah there may be a problem with that," said Hiccup.

"They've been chased from their home by a bigger dragon," said Fishlegs. "The Catastrophic Quaken to be exact."

"Really, you let one lousy dragon take over Meatlug's entire island?" scoffed Snotlout.

"It's not that simple Snotlout," said Fishlegs. Snotlout wondered off laughing.

Serenity rode Tenor back to their yurt. Serenity dismounted and unsaddled Tenor. She hadn't said a word the whole time. She put her saddle on it's rack. She put her medical bag beside her chair and sat down. Tenor laid down beside her, and went back to sleep. Serenity pulled out the Dragon Eye and examined it.

"Do you think Re and Aurora would be interested in this thing?" she asked.

"I'm sure they would," Tenor said, without opening his eyes.

"You think they'll come out here?" Serenity asked. "They'd love this island."

"Well, they might," Tenor yawned. "Depends on how satisfied they are with their wall."

"I'll send them a Hermes Dragon," Serenity said. She was the only human in the world who could summon a Hermes Dragon. She pulled out pen and paper and began writing a message to the king and queen. She told them about Dragon's Edge, the Dragon Eye, and about Dagur. She asked how the wall was coming along. Then she called a Hermes Dragon.

Hermes Dragons lived in the Dragon Heaven, in Lord Draco's glass cathedral. The dragons called them whenever they needed a message delivered. There were thousands of them living there, and flew to whatever dragon summoned them. The all looked the same, but in different colors. The had the head, beak, body, eyes, and legs of an eagle, the usual dragon wings, the neck of a alpaca, tail of a snake, and the horns of a goat. They were the size of a vulture and flew faster than a Night Fury.

A black and green Hermes Dragon flew down and landed on Tenor's head. She let out a vulture-like screech.

"Thank you for coming," Serenity said. "Please take this to Re and Aurora." The Hermes Dragon lowered her head and Serenity tied the letter to her horn. The Hermes Dragon spread her wings and took off, she was out of sight in seconds. Serenity leaned back in her seat with a sigh. She felt exhausted after the day's events. The sun was setting.

Fishlegs and Meatlug went up to Hiccup who was making adjustments to Toothless's tail. Fishlegs had been offered a chance to learn to fight the Quaken by Snotlout. But Fishlegs, like Serenity, didn't approve of fighting. Hiccup looked up from his work.

"Yes Fishlegs?" he said.

"What are you doing?" Fishlegs asked casually.

"I'm trying to strengthen this end piece," Hiccup said. "Toothless keeps bending it every time he makes turns." Toothless nudged his head under Hiccup's hand.

"I was wondering what the plan was," said Fishlegs.

"Plan?" Hiccup asked, confused.

"About the Quaken, how we're going to get rid of it?" Fishlegs explained.

"Oh, yeah," said Hiccup. "I've been thinking about that, and I'm not sure we should get rid of it."

"What?" Fishlegs exclaimed. Hiccup tried to sound understanding.

"Look Fishlegs, I'm not so sure that we have the right to interfere," he said. "That's what happens in nature all the time. The Quaken has taken over the island for now, and sooner or later a bigger dragon will chase the Quaken away. I'm sorry Fishlegs." He then turned and walked off. Fishlegs pondered this. He made up his mind to fight the Quaken anyway, no matter what Hiccup said.

The next day Fishlegs went up to Snotlout, who was still asleep. Hookfang woke up immediately. Fishlegs stood over Snotlout.

"I can't believe I'm actually about to say this," Fishlegs said. "Teach me everything you know Snotlout." Snotlout seemed all too pleased. They got right to work. Snotlout and Hookfang trained Fishlegs and Meatlug to take on the Quaken. They agreed to keep it all from Hiccup. But while they were training, Hiccup always seemed to walk by quite a lot. Hiccup had his suspicions.

They spent days training. Fishlegs caught on steadily. One afternoon they were taking a break. Meatlug watched the two humans. At that moment Tenor landed next to her.

"Hello sir," Meatlug said. "What brings you out here?"

"I was cooling off from a run," Tenor said. "I saw you all and came to investigate."

"We're training to take on the Quaken," Meatlug said. "You saw him back there."

"Yes," Tenor said. "He seemed awfully grouchy."

"Maybe you can do something," Meatlug suggested.

"Like what?" Tenor ask.

"Fight him," Meatlug said. "Be the one who chases the Quaken away."

"There are other ways of getting the island back," Tenor said. "Besides running or fighting. You could try talking to the Quaken, and see why he's been chasing you away." Meatlug considered.

"And what if that doesn't work and he continues to chase the Gronkles away?" she asked. "It would get awfully crowded if they lived here."

"Well, there are of course other places for dragons to go," Tenor said. "Berk for one, Dragon Island."

"Or Draconia itself," Meatlug said. Tenor smiled at her.

"See, you don't need me," he said. "If that Quaken wants to be alone, then that's his problem."

"Is this how you, Re, and Aurora run Draconia?" Meatlug asked. Tenor nodded.

"It really works a treat," he said. At that moment Fishlegs called Meatlug over.

"Thanks Tenor," Meatlug said as she went over. Tenor beamed.

"Man, I love my job," he said to himself. He spread his wings and flew back.

When he got back to the yurt he could smell smoked salmon, which made his mouth water. He landed and found Serenity making it. She didn't particularly like salmon, but Tenor loved it. She finished up and put the salmon into a basket, and gave it to Tenor.

"Thanks," he said. He dug in and Serenity leaned back in her chair. She drank water from her canteen.

"What about you?" Tenor asked.

"Don't worry about me," Serenity said. "I had a few apples. Besides you caught that salmon, I just cooked for you." Tenor turned back to his fish. When he finished he nuzzled Serenity's scarred cheek.

"Thank you, you're the best," he said. Serenity hugged his head and kissed his muzzle. He laid down and put his head in her lap.

"How was your run?" Serenity asked.

"It felt good," Tenor said. He stretched his wings out and let them soak up the sunlight. He wasn't wearing his saddle or his armor, just his crown.

"You know Tenor, I'm starting to think you have a tiny bit of wild stallion in you," Serenity said. "You love to run more than any dragon I know."

"Hmmm, perhaps," Tenor said with a yawn. He dozed off and Serenity watched the ocean until the sunset.

The next day Tenor and Serenity went flying. They went over the ocean, then over the island. A few of the other riders were doing the same. Serenity flew alone, with Tenor. Tenor wished she would fly with the other riders, to help her get over her fear of humans. Suddenly Hiccup and Toothless pulled up along side them.

"Hello boys," Serenity said.

"Have either of you seen Fishlegs and Snotlout training to take on the Quaken?" Hiccup asked. "I get the feeling they've been doing it behind my back."

"I've seen them," Tenor said. "But I didn't know you weren't told."

"Thanks," Hiccup said. He steered Toothless away. Tenor and Serenity flew back to their yurt. Serenity dismounted and unsaddled Tenor. Serenity sat in her chair, and Tenor ran into the woods. Serenity didn't mind, Tenor was a free spirit.

Tenor galloped through the woods at high speed. He spotted Hiccup and Toothless flying overhead. He followed them from the ground. He eventually came to a clearing where he saw Fishlegs, Snotlout, and their dragons. Hiccup landed next to Tenor.

"Caught in the act," Hiccup said. Toothless followed into the clearing, Tenor flew onto a strong tree branch so he could watch from above.

"I knew you were up to something," Hiccup said. "Fishlegs have you been training to fight the Quaken?"

"You don't have to answer that," said Snotlout, all too quickly.

"Oh, yes he does," Hiccup said, sternly.

"Okay, yes," Fishlegs confessed. "But only because we can't just sit here and do nothing. You want to talk about nature Hiccup? The Dragon Eye says that Gronkles are supposed to be on Dark Deep." Hiccup crossed his arms deep in thought.

"I get it Fishlegs, they're supposed to be on Dark Deep," he said. "And you know what, we will find a way to make that happen. But you can't listen to Snotlout, that has disaster written all over it. Fighting the Quaken, that's not you Fishlegs." Fishlegs considered this. Hiccup turned and left, Toothless at his heels. Fishlegs wanted to listen to Hiccup, but he didn't see a whole lot of options outside of fighting the Quaken. He marched up Snotlout. He had made up his mind.

Bright and early the following morning Fishlegs and Snotlout saddled up their dragons and flew away, before any of the other riders even woke up. They flew back to Dark Deep. They reached it by the end of the morning. Fishlegs was nervous the whole time.

"I feel kind of bad sneaking away," he said, speaking his mind.

"You did the right thing Fishlegs," said Snotlout. "You can take on this dragon and reclaim Dark Deep for the Gronkles." They approached the island and landed on the rocky shore. At first things were quiet, but then the ground started to rumble and shake. Fishlegs and Snotlout looked up a towering rock. The Quaken burst through the rock and glared down at the intruders.

"You didn't tell me he was this big," said Snotlout, panicking.

"You said I did the right thing," said Fishlegs.

"That was before I saw it!" Snotlout shouted. The Quaken roared at them. Both Hookfang and Meatlug felt dwarfed by it.

"You know what, I'm going to go get some help," Snotlout said. He mounted Hookfang as fast as he could. They took off leaving Fishlegs and Meatlug behind. Fishlegs turned to his dragon.

"Hiccup was right, this isn't us," he said. He was about to mount up and follow Snotlout, but he stopped. He looked at the Quaken again. A feeling of determination came over him.

"We have no choice, we're the Gronkle's only hope," he got on Meatlug. "For the Gronkles of Dark Deep!" Meatlug roared at the top of her lungs. They took off and charged at the Quaken.

Snotlout and Hookfang flew from the island at top speed. In the distance he spotted the other riders. Hookfang picked up speed. They reached the group, Serenity and Tenor were among them.

"Snotlout, where's Fishlegs?" Hiccup asked.

"You know that Quaken was a lot bigger than he said it was," said Snotlout.

"So you just left him there?" said Hiccup, horrified. The riders flew towards the island at top speed, Snotlout reluctantly followed. They circled the island looking for Fishlegs. It didn't take them long at all. They spotted Fishlegs and Meatlug cornered by the Quaken. It rolled into a ball and rolled towards them. Meatlug watched it get closer. Then she remembered what Tenor said. Just before the Quaken smashed Fishlegs, Meatlug ran between the two. The Quaken opened up and stopped just shy of the Gronkle. He looked down at her.

"Why are you doing this?" Meatlug asked, sternly. "What have the Gronkles done to you?" The Quaken sighed.

"Look, it's not you guys," he said. "I'm just not used to company."

"So, you ran everyone off?" Meatlug asked. "What for?"

"I'm too used to being alone," the Quaken said. "And the Gronkles wouldn't leave me be. I was getting annoyed."

"Well you could have just said that," said Meatlug. "If you let the Gronkles live here and be a little bit nicer to them, they will give you your space. All you have to do is ask." The Quaken considered.

"You don't have to be alone anymore," Meatlug added. The Quaken sighed again.

"Alright," he said. "I will give it a try." Meatlug beamed and nuzzled him. Just then the other Gronkles came back and hovered around the Quaken. He looked up at them with a more friendly demeanor.

"Who's hungry?" he said, cheerfully. They all wondered off, and the riders landed their dragons.

"What was that all about?" asked Astrid. They all looked at Serenity. She began speaking to Meatlug in Dragontongue. They waited anxiously, then Serenity spoke normally again.

"She said Tenor gave her the idea to negotiate with the Quaken, instead of fighting him," Serenity explained. "Apparently the Quaken wasn't used to having so much company, and the Gronkles kept bugging him. But he's going to make a solid effort to coexist with them." She patted Tenor on the neck.

With this problem solved, the riders took off again and headed back to Dragon's Edge, leaving the happy Gronkles with their new friend. On the way Astrid looked at Tenor.

"It's really incredible that you haven't found a mate yet Tenor," she said. "You're so noble and wise."

"I'm the only dragon in the world who looks like this," Tenor said. "Finding a mate is almost impossible." Serenity stroked his neck again.

"You'll find someone Tenor, I know you will," Astrid said. Tenor looked as though he didn't believe it. He was so deep in thought that he forgot to flap his wings to keep himself aloft. But he quickly did so, before he fell out of the sky. Tenor's mind was focused on his misfortune the entire way back.


	10. Have Dragon Will Travel Pt 1

**Have Dragon Will Travel Pt. 1**

The riders had flown back to Berk to get supplies to bring back to Dragon's Edge. Serenity and Tenor were among them. Serenity got more medical supplies and apples. They were just about to set off again, when they were approached by Stoic, Gobber, Mulch, and Bucket.

"Which one of you was out sinking ships?" Stoic asked suspicious. "Mulch and Bucket saw a dragon and rider sinking a ship, and don't tell me it was someone else because no one could have pulled something like this." The riders looked at each other both confused and concerned. Hiccup spoke first.

"Dad, we've been together all morning it couldn't have been one of us," he said.

"Well, then if it wasn't one of you than I say we have a bigger problem at hand," said Stoic.

"Rouge dragon rider," said Astrid.

"Not good, really not good," said Fishlegs.

"We need to investigate," said Hiccup.

"We'll need your help again Tenor," said Astrid. Tenor looked over his wing at Serenity. She gave a sad sigh and dismounted. He nuzzled her face, and handed her the Dragon Eye. Then he spread his wings and followed the others. As they flew over the ocean Astrid noticed Tenor look back towards Berk.

"Don't you think your being a little too overprotective of her Tenor?" she said.

"She doesn't seem to mind," Tenor said. "Besides we have our reasons for keeping her out of harms way. She's the only dragon healer out here, so if she's killed there won't be anyone to help dragons who need her help."

"You do have a point," Astrid said.

"And she's keeping the Dragon Eye hidden for you guys," Tenor added.

"Another good point," Astrid said.

Eventually they spotted the ship that had been attacked by the rouge dragon rider. They landed on the deck and the riders dismounted. They looked around at the damage. The mast was completely cut in half. There were barrels and boxes everywhere, all completely empty. There was not a soul in sight.

"You know I've been thinking a lot about this rouge dragon rider," said Astrid.

"Dagur," Hiccup said, reading her mind.

"It makes sense," said Astrid. They disbursed and looked through out the ship. Fishlegs spotted gashes on the ship's railing.

"Look at these," he said, calling the others over. They came over to investigate.

"Whoa, those are some deep gashes," Hiccup said. Tenor placed his own talons in the gash marks.

"This dragon is extremely powerful," said Fishlegs. Just then Tenor spotted something gleaming out of the corner of his eye. He turned and picked something up.

"Hey I found something," he announced. He held up the item. It was a barb, clearly from a dragon. It looked like it was made of polished silver.

"That looks like one of Stormfly's," said Astrid. Tenor handed it to Hiccup. He expected it be made of metal, but it was no where near heavy enough. It also felt hallow.

"This dragon must be a member of the Sharp Class," said Fishlegs.

"If we find the dragon, we find the rider," Hiccup said. "And I have a pretty good idea on how to find the dragon." They got back on their dragons and took off.

"And of course the hybrid freak gets no credit," Tenor said to himself. He didn't know why this bothered him more than it should. He spread his wings and followed them.

Back at the village the riders got Bucket and Mulch to describe the dragon they saw. While they described the dragon, Fishlegs drew it on a blank shield. Eventually Bucket lost his whit and he ran out of the room, but the riders got all they needed. They looked at the drawing.

"I've never seen a dragon like that," said Fishlegs. "It's not in the Book of Dragons or Bork's Papers."

"But there is on place we haven't looked," said Hiccup. "Serenity you brought the Dragon Eye right?" Serenity handed him the Dragon Eye. They went over to a blank patch of wall. Hiccup set the Dragon Eye on a barrel.

"Since Stormfly is also a member of the Sharp Class we should use her flame," said Hiccup. Stormfly lowered her head behind the Dragon Eye and lit her mouth up with fire. The Dragon Eye projected images of Sharp Class dragons onto the wall. Hiccup turned a few dials. Soon they came across an image that matched the drawing on the shield.

"There it is, it's called the Razorwhip," Hiccup said. "Fishlegs, do your thing." Fishlegs walked up to the wall and read the writing around the image.

"It wraps its tail around its victim and squeezes it to death," he said. "Unless it's in a hurry then it just slices it in half. It can also use it's tail like a whip." Tenor narrowed his eyes.

"What's the Razorwhip's choice of food?" asked Hiccup. "If we find it, we might find the Razorwhip and its rider." Fishlegs read some more.

"It feasts on slugs," he said. "There are a few islands that are crawling with those." Then Hiccup spotted Tenor's expression.

"What's wrong Tenor?" he asked. The all looked at him.

"That thing about the Razorwhip's tail, sounds a bit familiar," Tenor said. "It sounds similar to the Whippertail."

"Isn't that the kind of dragon Re and Aurora are?" Hiccup said. Tenor nodded.

"They don't have barbs as big as this one does, but everything else is the same," Tenor said.

"So the Whippertail must also be a member of the Sharp Class," said Fishlegs.

"It would seem so," Tenor said.

"I wonder what class you fall under," said Astrid. Tenor lowered his head sadly.

"I have no idea," he said. "I'm a hybrid. The Night Fury falls under Strike Class and the Blackfang would fall under Fear Class."

"Anyway, we should get going," Hiccup said. "Before this rouge dragon rider attacks more ships."

They all went outside. The riders got on their dragons. Serenity put the Dragon Eye in her medical bag, and mounted also. They took off and headed for the nearest island that had slugs. When they got there they circled around, not making a sound. Tenor and Serenity flew a bit higher than everyone else, providing air support. Hiccup suddenly spotted a trail of smoke rising from the center of the small island.

"There," he said. He steered Toothless over to the trail of smoke, the others followed. They landed at what looked like a campsite. There were several boxes and baskets filled with various items. A fire pit was in the center, smoke streamed out of it.

"It must be the loot from the ship," said Astrid.

"We need to split up," Hiccup said. "Every one keep an eye out for this rider and his Razorwhip, Fishlegs you stay here in case they come back." Fishlegs nodded. The others got back on their dragons and took off. Fishlegs sat under a tree to wait, when suddenly a long, thin, silver tail wrapped itself around Fishlegs and yanked him into the tree.

The Twins flew their Zippleback over the forest. All was going well. But then a dragon came out of nowhere and knocked the Twins off their saddles, and they landed in a nearby tree. Barf and Belch flew off without them.

Astrid had landed Stormfly to give her wings a rest. She dismounted and they looked around for clues. Astrid spotted dragon tracks that didn't match any of the dragons from Berk. Suddenly a chicken leg sailed over Stormfly. The Nadder lost all interest in finding the Razorwhip. She went after the chicken which had landed in a near by cave. Astrid ran in after her. Suddenly rocks fell in front of the cave entrance, trapping the two inside.

Snotlout had also landed. He ran towards a group of bushes. Hookfang waited quietly. Suddenly a dozen large logs came rolling towards Snotlout at high speed. Snotlout ran for his life. He ran off the edge of a low cliff and landed in a river, which washed him away. Hoofang took off after him, after a while.

Hiccup and Toothless flew through the tall basalt rocks that made up a majority of the island. They both stayed alert. Then Toothless spotted something gleaming ahead. He looked closer and saw a silver dragon perched on a ledge, a rider on its back. Toothless growled, alerting Hiccup.

"Good job bud," Hiccup whispered. He clicked the stirrup and Toothless flew fast towards the Razorwhip. The other dragon took off and Toothless gave chase. They both sped through the rocks. Toothless fired plasma blasts, but missed. Then the Razorwhip did a sharp turn, grabbing a tree with its tail. It pulled the tree in Toothless's path, then took off in the opposite direction. Toothless fired at the tree, managing to avoid hitting it. Hiccup turned him around and they sped after the Razorwhip again. The Night Fury put on a huge burst of speed and shot another plasma blast at the Razorwhip, hitting it this time. The dragon fell from the sky and crashed, its rider being dislodged in the process. Now Hiccup and Toothless could get a better look at the Razorwhip. It was slightly taller than Toothless. It looked very arrow dynamic. Its whole body was covered in polished silver scales, making it look like it was wearing armor. It had a long neck, acid green eyes, and wings similar to the Snow Wraith. Its tail was long and thin, covered in huge barbs. Like most other dragons in the Archipelago it had a nose horn and an underbite. Toothless landed as the rider was about to get back on.

"I wouldn't do that," Hiccup warned. Toothless made ready another blast. The rider paused for a minuet, exchanging a glance with the Razorwhip.

"I wouldn't either," the rider said, and Hiccup recognized the rider's voice, as did Toothless. The rider turned around and removed her face covering. Both Hiccup and Toothless looked shocked, they knew this rider.

"Heather?" said Hiccup, unable to believe it.

After Hiccup rescued all his fellow riders and their dragons, they went back to Heather's campsite. Understandably the riders were quite angry about being treated like they did. They shouted for several minuets before Hiccup said something.

"Okay guys, I'm sure Heather has a perfect explanation for doing what she did," he said. They looked at Heather.

"I've been on my own for some time, and made more than a few enemies," Heather explained. "I didn't want you guys to be involved, I needed to send you back to Berk."

"You couldn't have just said that?" snapped Snotlout.

"Would you have listened?" Heather asked.

"She does have a point we're a pretty stubborn group," Astrid agreed.

"Look, we have a base not far from here," Hiccup said to Heather. "You should come with us, get some previsions, catch up, get some rest." Heather considered as she stocked her Razorwhip. The silver dragon spotted something flying high in the air. It appeared to be circling them, but was too far away see details. All the Razorwhip could tell was that it was black. The Razorwhip crooned alerting the others. They followed her gaze.

"Who's that?" Heather asked, suspicious.

"That's Serenity," Hiccup said. "You remember her, the dragon healer who can talk to dragons."

"Oh yeah," Heather said remembering. "Why hasn't she landed yet?"

"She probably doesn't know it's you," Hiccup said. "She and her dragon, Tenor, are providing air support."

"It's probably a good thing you didn't attack her," Snotlout sneered. "Or her king would have hunted you down and thrown you into his dungeon." They all ignored Snotlout as usual.

"Come with us to Dragon's Edge," Hiccup offered. "Let us help you." Heather smiled at him.

"You're not going to give up are you?" she said. "Alright Dragon's Edge it is." So they all mounted their dragons. The Razorwhip kept looking at the black spot above. A spark of curiosity flashed in her mind. They took off and headed for Dragon's Edge.

Serenity flew among them, but slightly separate. Tenor saw the Razorwhip. Though she seemed to be on the good side, he kept his distance. Tenor was always nervous around females. All the female dragons he'd met regarded him as a freak, a show-off, a nightmare, or a useless mutt. He had no reason to believe that this Razorwhip would treat him any differently. Serenity noticed his tension.

"What's wrong Tenor?" she asked, stoking his neck.

"That silver dragon, she's a female," Tenor said. Serenity looked over at the Razorwhip.

"So she is," she said. "She looks friendly."

"I'm sure she is," Tenor said. "To everyone but me, it's happened before."

"Maybe this time will be different," Serenity said.

"I've heard that before," Tenor said. "Over and over, and it's always the same thing. I always get rejected." Serenity hugged him, resting her head on his armor.

"I'll help you this time," she said. "In anyway I can." Tenor purred, happy to have someone to turn to if things went sour.

They soon arrived at Dragon's Edge. Serenity and Tenor landed at their yurt. The Razorwhip saw them, and spotted Tenor. She became even more curious, she had never seen a dragon like that. She still couldn't make out any features, he was too far away. But she could see that he was glossy black, and had a Night Fury look about him. He wore black armor that made him look as shiny as herself. His rider was young and very beautiful. She made a note to herself to investigate this mysterious black dragon and his rider. The Razorwhip landed next to the other dragons. The riders dismounted and went up to the club house. Heather gave her Razorwhip a scrub down. The riders all gathered to admire her.

"Where did you find it?" asked Tuffnut.

"How did you train a Razorwhip? It's incredible," said Fishlegs. Heather seemed amused.

"Actually I owe a lot to you guys. When I found Windshear she had been a fight with a Typhoomerang," she said. "She won, but she needed to be nursed back to health. Then I used the training you guys taught me back on Berk, and we've become the perfect team." Windshear snorted in agreement. Astrid was very excited about it all. Hiccup was excited too, but he had to remind himself that Heather was out sinking ships and he needed to ask her about that.

Heather spent the rest of the day gathering food and other supplies she would need. She let Windshear wonder about and rest up for their next big flight. She spotted the yurt, and the flag flying on top of it. The pretty rider was sitting in her chair sewing, her black dragon was no where in sight. Windshear spread her wings and flew over. Serenity looked up when the Razorwhip landed.

"Hello," she said politely.

"Hello, what brings you here?" Serenity said in Dragontongue. Windshear bore the same surprised look as all the dragons who met Serenity.

"Wow, you really can talk to dragons," Windshear said. "I've heard a lot about you. You're the dragon healer from Draconia."

"Yes," said Serenity. "What's your name?"

"I'm Windshear," said the Razorwhip. "You're Serenity." Serenity nodded, still smiling.

"Say where'd that black dragon go?" Windshear asked.

"Tenor? He went running," Serenity said. "He loves to run." Windshear looked towards the forest.

"Tenor huh? That's a nice name," she said.

"He's the Draconian Prime Minister," Serenity said. "And King Re's adopted brother."

"Oh, I think I've heard of him," said Windshear. "He's the dragon no one has ever seen."

"Yes, he hides himself from all the bullying he got when he was younger, and gets still," Serenity said. The expression on Windshear's face went from curious to pity.

"That's sad," she said. Just then Heather came looking for her dragon, followed by Hiccup and Toothless.

"Hey Serenity, you remember Heather right?" Hiccup said.

"Ah, yes I remember," Serenity said. "Is she yours?" She stroked Windshear's snout.

"Yes," Heather said. "Where's your dragon? Do you still ride that green and blue one?"

"Draco?" Serenity said. "He's no longer in the world. I now ride a young dragon named Tenor. He's off running right now."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," said Heather.

"It's alright he was old," Serenity said. "He made be promise to get back in the saddle, on a much younger dragon. I'm riding Tenor until he finds a mate."

"I see," said Heather. "When is he back?"

"Don't know," Serenity said. "It'll be nightfall soon, and he's a nocturnal dragon." Windshear stood beside her rider. Toothless wormed his head under Serenity's hand, and she petted him.

"The dragons seem to really like you," Heather said.

"I like them," said Serenity.

"They're your friends?" Heather said.

"Friends? no, they're not friends," Serenity said. "They're family. I was raised by dragons, that's why I can speak to them." Toothless purred.

"Well, we need to get some rest," Heather said. Serenity nodded. They all turned and headed back to the club house. When they were gone, Tenor came out of the trees. He had run into the woods when he sensed Windshear approaching.

"She's very nice Tenor," Serenity said. "I don't think you need to worry about her."

"It would seem so," Tenor said. "She also seems young."

"At least give her a chance," Serenity said. "She's very curious about you." Tenor pinned his ears back bashfully. He laid down and put his head on his front paws.

Later that evening; Windshear was dozing off on the porch of the stables. Heather planned to take off when the moon came out. Windshear was ready. She spent the day resting, and wondering about the mysterious black dragon. She felt bad for him. She wanted to at least meet him before they left. She looked over at the yurt and saw him laying in the grass outside. Serenity was no where in sight, Windshear suspected she was inside. Windshear got to her feet and went over to the yurt. Tenor must have heard her coming because he quickly dashed into the shadow of the building. His black scales did their job, and Windshear could see very little of him. All she saw was his glowing green eyes. He looked at her shyly. She decided to not get too close, she didn't know about his temper.

"Are you Tenor?" she asked.

"Yes," Tenor said quickly. "You're Windshear." The Razorwhip nodded.

"You're the king's brother," Windshear said. "He and the queen are Whippertails. Did you know that the Razorwhip and the Whippertail are cousins?"

"Really?" Tenor said, interested.

"Yeah," Windshear said. "We have the same ancestors, Razorwhips just evolved differently. We're two sides of the same coin."

"That would explain the similarities," Tenor said. Windshear nodded in agreement. Tenor stayed in the shadows.

"Do you want to come out?" Windshear asked. Tenor didn't move.

"I have peace in dark," he said. "If folks can't see me, then they can't make fun of the way I look. When are you and Heather leaving?"

"Tonight," Windshear said. "We have lots to do."

"More ships to rob?" Tenor asked.

"We don't rob the ships," Windshear said. "I probably shouldn't tell you anything, Heather wouldn't like it." Tenor narrowed his eyes.

"Right, It's not like I can do anything," he said sarcastically.

"No, it's not that," Windshear said. "It's just that, this is our problem. I don't you to trouble yourself."

"I see," Tenor said. "But tell me anyway. Maybe there is something I can do, with my skills and connections." Windshear considered.

"Well, alright," she said. "Shortly after Heather and I met. Our village was wiped out by Dagur and the Berserkers. Heather lost her friends and family. The Berserkers took everything from the village. There are a few survivors out there. Heather and I teamed up with a merchant named Trader Johann to distribute all the stolen items back to the survivors."

"Such a noble humanitarian effort," Tenor said. "How does Johann help?"

"That oaf knows quite a lot," Windshear said. "He's able to locate where Dagur is, as well as take the stolen items back to the survivors. Heather hopes to find Dagur and put him in his place."

"We all do," Tenor said. "If Heather's village, Berk, and the dragons all pulled together, then Dagur won't stand a chance. I would gladly gather up the Draconian squadrons. Draconia's a large nations, with over thousands of dragons. A nation that big would have Dagur running for the end of the Earth." Windshear smiled at him. She was working on a way to get him out of the shadows. The sun was starting to set.

"I like you Tenor," she said. "You have a very good heart. You're right of course. But I don't think you need to call them just yet."

"Okay if you say so," Tenor said. He laid down and placed his head on his front paws. Windshear also laid down, in the dying light.

"So, does Heather have a plan for what she's going to do when she takes on Dagur?" Tenor asked. Windshear thought for a minuet.

"I don't think so to honest," she giggled. "But she might be planning something as we speak."

"For both your sakes I hope so," Tenor said. Windshear gave him a small look of gratitude. They fell silent as they watch the sun go down. Windshear kept looking at Tenor. He stayed in his shadow. But when the sun was set and darkness fell, Tenor emerged. It was a new moon and Windshear still couldn't make out any features. At that moment Heather came up to them. She had locked up the other dragons, preventing the others from following her.

"There you are Windshear," she said. "We have to go." Windshear turned to Tenor.

"Thanks for talking," she said in the direction of the glowing green eyes. Heather went to the door of the yurt and locked the door. Tenor hissed.

"What are you doing?" he asked sternly.

"I don't want Serenity coming after us," Heather said. "She could get hurt. Don't worry, it's for the best." Tenor opened his mouth to blast the door open, but Windshear stopped him.

"Don't, you'll wake her up," she whispered. Tenor stopped.

"You can set her free tomorrow," Heather said. Then she got on her dragon and took off. She failed to see the Night Fury, perfectly concealed by the darkness. Hiccup and Toothless came out of their hiding place. Toothless spread his wings and flew after the Razorwhip. Tenor watched them all fly away. He spread his wings and followed them.

Tenor followed them over the ocean. They arrived back at Heather's campsite. Hiccup and Toothless landed and stayed out of sight. Heather had landed Windshear on a single ship. Tenor circled it, the darkness hid him very well. Heather was talking to Trader Johann. After a few minuets the two shook hands, Heather got on Windshear, and they took off. They were soon out of sight. Hiccup and Toothless came out of hiding and landed on the ship. Johann seemed surprised to see them. Hiccup began interrogating Johann, using Toothless as a threat. Tenor circled lowed to be able to hear what was being said. Johann seemed reluctant to talk about Heather. But Hiccup was very firm, again he sounded like Stoic that himself. Johann soon crumbled under the threatening glare of Toothless. From the sound of it Johann told Hiccup everything Windshear told Tenor. When Hiccup got all the information he needed from Johann, he mounted Toothless and set off again. Tenor followed closely.

Hiccup and Toothless followed Heather. Johann had just told him that Dagur had destroyed Heather's village and killed her family. Hiccup felt bad for Heather and understood why she wanted to kill Dagur. But he worried that Heather would get herself killed. It took the rest of the night to reach Dagur's fleet. By the time they saw the fleet, the sun was high in the sky. Heather and Windshear were hovering over several ships. The Berserkers had launched heavy chains at Windshear, and they snagged all around her body. A few of them had pinned Heather, flat on her back, against Windshear's neck. Hiccup clicked the stirrup and Toothless launched himself at the fleet.

"Toothless, plasma blast," he ordered. "Blast the chains." Toothless fired at the chains but nothing happened. Heather and Windshear saw the other dragon and rider. Dagur laughed loudly. Heather saw Toothless fail to blast the chains. She tried to free herself but failed. She was completely helpless.


	11. Have Dragon Will Travel Pt 2

**Have Dragon Will Travel Pt. 2**

Hiccup and Toothless watched as the Berserkers began pulling Heather and Windshear down. Toothless tried several time to break the chains but they were just to strong. Then just as Dagur was about throw a net over Windshear, there came the familiar sound of a diving Night Fury. Then several plasma blasts shot through the air. They shot passed the chains and hit the wenches. The wenches bust into pieces and Windshear was able to shake off the chains. Heather hung on tight as her dragon joined Toothless. They watched as Tenor dived at the ships again, blasting the sails. Then Tenor landed on Dagur's ship. Several of the other Berserkers ran at him. Tenor sank his venomous teeth into their necks one by one, they all dropped dead. Dagur looked at Tenor with real fear.

"It could be you next," Tenor hissed. Then he spread his wings and took off. He was long gone before the other two dragons could catch up. Heather steered Windshear back towards the fleet.

"Heather don't," Hiccup called, blocking her with Toothless.

"I can handle Dagur," Heather said.

"But this is suicide," said Hiccup.

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes," said Heather.

"And are you willing to sacrifice Windshear too?" asked Hiccup. Heather paused and looked down at Windshear.

"I may not get another chance like this again," Heather said.

"There will be another opportunity," Hiccup said. "I promise." Heather looked from Dagur to Windshear. She gave an annoyed grunt. But she reluctantly steered Windshear after Toothless. They flew back in the direction of Dragon's Edge.

They flew above the clouds in complete silence. Heather was slowly cooling off after the events. Windshear was still thinking about what Tenor just did. He had moved so fast that she still didn't get a good look at him. But she admired him for his bravery and his brain. She decided that when she got back to Dragon's Edge, she would get Tenor out of the shadows. She wanted to see what he looked like. Serenity would help for sure.

"Johann told me what happened," Hiccup said after a while. "Dagur wiped out the whole village."

"Then you know why he has to pay," Heather said.

"I do," Hiccup said. "But you don't have to do this alone."

"I don't know," Heather said. "It seams I'm destined to be alone. First I get separated from by birth parents..."

"What? You were separated from your birth parents?" Hiccup interrupted.

"When I was a baby," Heather said. "I have very few memories of them. My father gave me this." She took out a hollowed out, ivory horn that had rope tied around it.

"I know it's supposed to mean something, but I don't know what," she continued. She put the horn away. Windshear turned to Toothless.

"That Tenor is a very impressive dragon," she said.

"He is," Toothless said.

"What are the chances of me getting him out of the shadows?" Windshear asked. Toothless shrugged.

"Depends on how much patience you have," he said. "You also have to convince him that you're not going to bully him because he looks so different." Windshear considered. She thought it through the rest of the flight.

Back at Dragon's Edge the riders had woken up to find Hiccup and Toothless gone and their dragons locked up. They released their dragons. No one was very pleased. Tenor landed in front of the stables.

"Tenor where were you?" asked Astrid.

"I was saving Heather and Windshear from Dagur," Tenor said. "If all went well your friends should be right behind me. Now I'm going to go check on Serenity. Heather locked her in the yurt last night."

"She locked all our dragons up too," said Snotlout." Tenor turned around and flew back out. He landed at the yurt. He heard someone pounding on the door. He ran up to it.

"Serenity, are you there?" he called.

"Tenor! Thank Draco it's you," Serenity said. "Can you get me out of here?"

"Stand back," Tenor said. He heard Serenity move away from the door. When he felt like she was a safe distance, he shot the door open. Serenity came out looking scared. She threw her arms around Tenor's neck.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes," Serenity said. "I tried calling for help but no one came."

"That's because Heather locked up the other dragons and I had to go save Heather and Windshear from the Berserkers," Tenor said, draping a wing around her.

"She scares me Tenor," Serenity said.

"It's okay," Tenor said. Serenity sat in her chair and tired to catch her breath. Tenor grabbed her water canteen from beside her medical bag and handed it to her. She drank some and it helped her calm down. Tenor laid beside her, vowing to not let her out of his sight until he knew that he could trust Heather.

"How'd it go with Windshear?" Serenity asked. "Did you say hello to her?"

"I did," Tenor said. "But I stayed in the shadows. She does seem very nice."

"Well that's a start," Serenity said. "She may be the one for you." Tenor perked his ears up.

"Well, I don't know," he said, nervously. Serenity stroked him gently.

"At least try," she said.

"Okay," Tenor said. He took a deep breath and dozed off. Serenity finally calmed down after her near heart attack.

Hiccup, Heather, and their dragons landed at the stables. The riders instantly began shouting angrily at Heather for locking up the dragons. She took it all without complaint. Then Hiccup got them to quiet down.

"I'm sorry I locked up your dragons," Heather said. "I didn't trust that you guys would let me go after Dagur."

"Trust must be earned Heather," said Fishlegs. "With both people and dragons."

"Thanks for understanding Fishlegs," Heather said, smiling at him.

"We've got your back Heather," Hiccup said. "You're one of us."

"I stocked up Windshear's stable with plenty of slugs," Fishlegs said. Suddenly all the other riders, minus Astrid and Hiccup, began advancing on Heather. She looked badly overwhelmed. Astrid quickly rescued her.

"Lets go have some girl time," Astrid suggested.

"Good idea," Heather said, gratefully. They went out side, passed the sleeping dragons. They went towards the woods, Heather spotted Serenity outside giving Tenor a scrub down.

"Why don't we invite Serenity?" Heather suggested. Astrid looked over at the yurt as well.

"Um, Serenity isn't really the ax throwing type," she said.

"Oh," Heather said. "But let's go say hi to her anyway, I still have to apologize to her." She lead the way to the yurt and Astrid followed. Serenity and Tenor looked up when they approached.

"Hey Serenity," Heather said.

"Hello Heather, Astrid," Serenity said. "What brings you here?"

"I wanted to apologize for locking you up," Heather said. "I hope I didn't scare you too much." Serenity paused.

"It's okay," she said. "I'm over it now." She stroked Tenor's neck. Heather turned to Tenor, realizing this was the first time she saw him up close in broad daylight.

"This must be Tenor," she said.

"Indeed," Serenity said. She scratched Tenor's ears.

"Wow, he's amazing," Heather said. She reached her hand out to him and paused. Tenor looked at her with hard look. Then he placed his snout in her hand. She stroked him gently.

"I've never seen a dragon like him," Heather said. Serenity gave a sad smile.

"He's the only dragon in the world that looks like this," She said.

"I'm sorry Tenor," Heather said. "It must be so lonely for you."

"More than I can say," he said. Serenity went back to brushing him and Heather saw the picture of a unicorn sewn on the back of her riding jacket.

"Did you do that?" Heather asked pointing. "The white horse?"

"I did," Serenity said. "But it's not a horse. It's a unicorn."

"A unicorn?" Heather said.

"It's a creature of magic," Serenity said. "They look like horses, except they have a horn on their foreheads. The dragons often tell me I'm like a unicorn, they have healing abilities."

"That's pretty impressive work," Heather said.

"Thanks, sewing helps me as a dragon healer," Serenity said.

"Well anyway," Astrid said. "We're going off for girl time." Serenity looked curious.

"What's that?" she asked. Heather and Astrid looked at each other in surprise.

"It's where girls hang out, no guys allowed," Astrid said.

"Oh, I see," Serenity said. She stroked Tenor again.

"You can come if you want," Astrid said. "But we'll be doing a lot of ax throwing."

"No thank you," Serenity said. "I plan to go flying later, after Tenor goes running."

"Ok, we'll see you later then," Astrid said. Serenity waved as they left. Then she started to take Tenor's bridle off.

Windshear wondered through the outpost minding her own business. She spotted Serenity and Tenor outside the yurt. Serenity removed his bridle and he ran off into the woods. Windshear smiled. She felt like this was a perfect opportunity to get him out of the shadows. She spread her wings and took off after him. She followed him from above. He ran fast, she had to admit. He didn't have his saddle or armor on. He didn't see her above him.

"Hey Tenor!" she called. Tenor stopped dead and didn't look over his wing. He quickly dashed into the shadow of a nearby tree. Windshear landed and turned to face him. Again all she could see was his green eyes.

"Thanks for your help out there," she said. "It was a bit scary but impressive."

"My pleasure," Tenor said, Windshear couldn't tell if he was smiling or not. "I'm Dagur's worst nightmare."

"How come you're hiding?" Windshear asked.

"I've been made fun of a lot when I was younger," Tenor said. "Because of the way I look. I figured if no one can see me, then they can't make fun of me."

"I won't make fun of you I promise," Windshear said, softly "You can trust me." Tenor didn't move. He looked at her with nervous eyes.

"Please?" Windshear asked. "Surly you can't look that bad." Tenor looked at the ground for a minuet. He sighed and got to his feet. He cautiously stepped towards the light. He hesitated, then stepped out of the shadows. He didn't come out very far. Half of him was still in the shadows, but Windshear saw enough. She took in his black scales, his slender build, his long neck, and his kind, young face. He was taller than her, and he looked like he was built for speed.

"Well, you certainly do look unusual," she said. "But I don't mean that in a bad way."

"You don't know how hard it is to be like this, and find a mate," Tenor said. "The female dragons want nothing to do with me. They avoid me because they fear me, or they're jealous of me."

"Well, they don't know what they're missing," Windshear said. "I don't see anything wrong with you." Tenor looked at her, and perked his ears up. He decided to risk it.

"I don't suppose, you would..." he stopped. He didn't need to finish, Windshear saw the question in his eyes. She wanted so badly to say yes and end his suffering, but she had to be honest. She looked sadly at the ground.

"I'm sorry Tenor," she said. "But you see, I am not yet fully grown. I'm not ready for a mate." What little hope there was in Tenor's expression, was quickly replaced by deepest despair.

"Oh," he said quietly. He went back into the shadows. He laid down and put his head on his paws.

"But I do still want to be your friend," Windshear said, hoping to make him feel better. "Can we still be friends?" Tenor looked at her, and nodded slowly. Windshear beamed.

"Thanks," she said cheerfully. "I really do like you Tenor, you're so cool." Then she noticed that he still wasn't smiling. He curled into a ball, hiding his head under his wings and wrapping his tail round himself. Windshear wondered if she dared get closer to him. She carefully went into his shadow, he didn't move. She went a bit closer and laid beside him. She cautiously put a silver wing around his shoulders, he still didn't move. Being this close to him, Windshear now hear him crying softly.

"Hey," she whispered gently. "Don't cry. I may not be the one for you, but she's out there waiting for you. Don't give up, you're going to find her I just know it." Tenor continued to sob.

"If I didn't look like this, I would have found her ages ago," he said. "I feel like I've asked every female dragon in the world, and every single one of them t-t-turned be d-d-down." His voice broke and he sniffed.

"Have you asked a female Night Fury?" Windshear asked.

"I've never met one," Tenor said. "I've only met one Night Fury in my life, he's a male, and dragons don't believe in homosexuality."

"I met a female Night Fury once," Windshear said. "When I was a new born. She was much older than me, but still an adolescence. I don't remember her name. All I remember is that her parents and my parents knew each other. Her father was the leader of a huge squadron. She also had yellow eyes, like he did. She would be about your age now." She looked down at him. Tenor had come out of his wings. He still didn't look happy, but at least he had stopped crying.

"So, don't give up," she said. "There are plenty of female dragons out there, and one of them is for you." Tenor took several deep breathes and calmed down. Windshear still saw tears of despair roll down his face. Windshear felt like crying as well, seeing him so lonely, but then she remembered that her tears were poisonous. She nuzzled him gently. She strained her thoughts for a different subject, something to cheer him up.

"Your rider is very beautiful," she said.

"She is indeed," Tenor said. "She's the very best."

"You must really love her," Windshear said. Tenor nodded. He managed to smile a little.

"And she makes you happy," Windshear said, it wasn't a question. Tenor nodded again. He used the edge of his wing to wipe his tears away. Windshear nuzzled him again. Just then she heard Heather calling her. Windshear got to her feet and left the shadows. Tenor stayed where he was. Heather approached them; followed by Astrid and Stormfly.

"There you are Windshear," Heather said, stroking her dragon's snout. "Where were you?" Windshear turned and looked back at Tenor. He watched them silently from the shadows. They all looked at him.

"What are you doing out here?" Heather asked. Tenor huffed.

"I like time by myself," he said. "Where are you lot off to?"

"We're going flying," Astrid said. "Show off our skills." Both Windshear and Stormfly seemed thrilled.

"Will you come too?" Windshear asked. "I don't want you be alone." Tenor narrowed his eyes. He seemed hesitant.

"Come on Tenor, you love to show off," Stormfly added.

"This is true," Tenor agreed. "I'm not sure I'm allowed though." He looked at Heather and Astrid.

"I don't suppose I'm allowed to tag along?" Tenor asked them. Heather and Astrid exchanged a glance. Tenor got to his feet and came to the edge of the shadow.

"Well, it's a girl's only time," said Astrid. Tenor snorted and pawed the ground.

"I thought so," he said sourly. He spread his wings and took off, before they could say anything. Windshear and Stormfly watched him fly away, feeling so bad for him. Heather and Astrid mounted their dragons and took off.

Tenor flew back to the yurt. He felt better when he saw Serenity sitting in her chair, waiting for him. She looked up when she landed, and smiled at him. He smiled back, happy to have at least someone left who still wanted him. It didn't take Serenity long to noticed the lonely look on his face.

"Tenor what's wrong?" she asked. Tenor looked at her.

"It seems I'm not wanted today," he said.

"Why, what happened?" Serenity asked gently, getting to her feet.

"I asked Windshear to be my mate," Tenor said. "She turned me down. Then Heather and Astrid wanted to go flying. I asked to join them and they said no." He hung his head. Serenity threw her arms around his neck. Tenor hugged her back. She smelled so lovely, and so familiar.

"How about we go flying, just the two of us," she whispered softly.

"I would like that," Tenor said. Serenity got her saddle and put it on Tenor's back.

When he was saddled up, Serenity mounted him. Tenor spread his wings and took off. They flew around Dragon's Edge. They did acrobats in the air over the ocean. Tenor felt better, but not yet happy. Not even doing his favorite tricks made him happy. They flew up to the snow covered mountain and landed on the summit. From this height they could see for miles. Tenor took off and shot straight down the mountain side. When he reached the tree tops he snapped open his wings and soared over the island. Serenity held on tightly.

Heather and Astrid were also doing acrobats. Stormfly and Windshear hovered in the air to take a short break. Just then Serenity and Tenor flew by at high speed. The two female dragons watched them.

"It's not fair," Windshear said. "That those two have to be excluded because they're different."

"Yeah," Stormfly agreed. "I don't think Serenity has any friends, at least no human friends." They both watched Serenity and Tenor fly over the ocean, alone. They flew back to their yurt. Heather watched the black dragon, an idea forming in her mind. Dagur was afraid of him, she figured the dragon would be useful in her next attack.

"Wait there for a second," she said to Astrid. "I'll be right back."

She steered Windshear towards the yurt and landed next to it. Tenor and Serenity looked up when they landed. Tenor pinned his ears back and lowered his head.

"Hey Tenor, I wonder if I might ask you a favor," Heather said. "It concerns Dagur." Tenor narrowed his eyes.

"I suppose," he said.

"Go ahead Tenor," Serenity said. "You are the best fighter I know of." Tenor looked at her with a worried look.

"What about you?" he asked. Serenity stroked his snout.

"Don't worry about me Tenor," she said. "I'll be okay." She went and sat in her chair. Windshear beamed when Tenor joined her and Heather. They took off and rejoined Astrid and Stormfly.

"Why'd you bring him for?" asked Astrid. Tenor scowled at her.

"Is there something wrong with me Astrid?" he asked, bitterly.

"What? No," said Astrid.

"Come on I want to show you guys something," Heather said. She steered Windshear out towards the horizon. Tenor and Stormfly followed.

They flew far away from Dragon's Edge. Everyone but Heather and Windshear were confused as to where they were going. Stormfly noticed that Tenor also looked worried. He was no doubt worried about his rider. He also looked quite sad.

"What troubles you sir?" Stormfly asked. Tenor exhaled a huge cloud of smoke.

"Astrid doesn't want me tagging along does she?" he said.

"She does," Stormfly said. "She's just confused as to why Heather suddenly asked you to come." Tenor heaved a sigh.

"I like Heather," he said. "She's nice. She sees nothing wrong with me, or Serenity."

"I don't see anything wrong with you two either," said Stormfly. "It must be a human thing to exclude the one that's different." Tenor murmured in agreement. They were approaching the island where Heather's campsite was. They landed and the two riders dismounted. Tenor folded his wings.

"What are we doing back at your campsite?" Astrid asked. "Did you forget something?"

"No," said Heather. She went to the cliff, she seemed to be looking for something. Tenor spotted the shrubs rustling and could smell something. He went into a crouch, snarling. The others looked at the shrubs, Tenor prowled closer. The shrubs rustled again. Like a panther Tenor pounced with a loud roar. He fleshed out a startled Trader Johann and pinned him to the ground with his paws. Johann shook like a beetle on its back.

"Trader Johann?" said Astrid.

"Ms. Astrid, good to see you," Johann said timidly. "If you'd be so kind to get this dragon off me." Astrid pulled Tenor by the reins and pulled him off. Heather helped Johann to his feet.

"Ms. Heather thank Thor you're okay," Johann said. "I was worried when the Tiny Terror kept returning with the letters I sent. Then I came here and saw that your camp was abandoned I feared the worst."

"I'm fine," Heather assured him. Astrid exchanged a glance with Tenor.

"Would some one like to explain what's going on," Astrid said. Heather and Johann turned to them.

"You see Ms. Astrid," Johann began. "If you need spices, cured leathers, or hard to apprehend information about a certain Berserker, I'm your man." He held up a map of the area. There were several red X's on certain parts of the map.

"And if you need a brave warrior to take out that certain Berserker," said Heather, whipping out her switchblade ax. "I'm your girl."

"So, he's got the information and you've got the ax," Astrid said, stroking Tenor's neck. "Now what?"

"I have discovered that Dagur is acquiring a new armada of ships," Johann said. "They are equipped with dragon proof wenches and catapults. I happen to know when and where this exchange will take place."

"If we strike now Dagur won't stand a chance," Heather said. Astrid looked unsure. Tenor on the other hand looked interested.

"Now I see why you turned down my ofer to summon the Draconian squadrons," he said. Heather smiled at him.

"Thank you Johann," she said. She and Astrid got back on their dragons and took off. Tenor followed them. He flew beside Windshear.

"I look forward to seeing you in action again," she said. "You were quite impressive last time."

"Thank you," Tenor said. "I suppose I should be worrying about other things, besides my own suffering." Windshear looked at him but didn't say anything.

They arrived at the outpost sometime later. Heather found the riders in the arena. The only ones not found were Hiccup and Toothless. This didn't falter Heather's plans. Astrid and Stormfly landed next to the yurt with Tenor. Serenity was in her chair, curled into a tight ball. Tenor lowered his head and nudged her.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked. Serenity sat up and latched onto Tenor's head.

"Yes, I'm okay," she said. "How are you?"

"I'm doing much better," Tenor said.

"Where's Hiccup and Toothless? Do you know?" Astrid asked.

"He flew off for Berk shortly after you left," Serenity said. "I'm not sure what it was about."

"Thanks," Astrid said. She and Stormfly took off.

Down at the arena, Heather told all the riders her plan to infiltrate Dagur's fleet. The riders seemed hesitant to go into battle without their leader. Tenor seemed to be the only one who was interested.

"We can defeat Dagur and his armada," Heather said. "But only if we act now." The riders exchanged a glance.

"Thing is," said Fishlegs. "I don't think it's such a good idea to go into battle against Dagur's entire armada without Hiccup and Toothless. They're the strongest and Toothless is a Night Fury." Heather sensed she was losing her backup.

"I'm half Night Fury," Tenor said. "Or is that not enough?" Heather turned to Astrid. Surly she would still back her up.

"Tell them Astrid," she said. Astrid looked from her fellow riders to Heather, then back again. She seemed undecided.

"Look Heather," she said. Heather looked surprised.

"Not you too," she said. Then she glared at them all. "I guess all that talk about trust and having my back was all a lie." She gripped her ax. Then she turned to Tenor who was standing there quietly. Heather rushed over and grabbed his bridle, practically tugging on it.

"You'll help me won't you?" she asked, desperately. Tenor snorted.

"I'll help you," he said. "Now will you please let go of me." Heather released his bridle.

"Thanks," she said.

"Why Tenor?" Astrid asked. Tenor gave her a hard look.

"Maybe because I want Dagur gone," he said. "Maybe because I don't need a leader to tell me what to do." Heather got on Windshear. Tenor spread his wings and took off. Windshear followed. They landed at the stables and readied themselves. Tenor made sure his armor was nice and snug.

"I really appreciate your help on this Tenor," Heather said.

"Oh, not a problem Ms. Heather," Tenor said. "I love fighting bad guys." Heather looked over at the yurt where Serenity was sitting in her chair.

"What about your rider?" she asked. Tenor followed her gaze.

"She's the reason I'm doing this," he said. "The last thing I want is for Dagur to find out about her. If that happens Dagur will try to get his hands on her, I want to make sure that never happens. I refuse to go home with an empty saddle." He shuffled his wings. "Are we going or not?" Heather was about to mounded up.

"Hey," said Astrid. Everyone turned to find the riders lined up. Heather and Tenor exchanged a glance.

"Look, if we're going to do this it has to be a capture mission, not a kill mission," said Astrid. Heather seemed satisfied.

"We'll sink his ships and drag him back to Outcast Island," Heather said. "Let him rot there."

"Good plan," said Astrid.

"So what changed you mind?" Heather wanted to know.

"Hiccup," said Astrid. "He wouldn't want you to face Dagur alone." Heather smiled.

"Thanks Astrid," she said. She held up the map from Trader Johann. "And I know where to find Dagur."

"Than you won't need this," Astrid said. She snatched the map and pinned it to the side of the stables. "Now Hiccup will know where to find us." The riders mounted their dragons and Tenor followed them out to sea. They flew in formation, Heather and Windshear at the front. Heather told the riders her plan. She wanted Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Twins to distract Dagur while she and Astrid snuck onto Dagur's ship. Heather then asked Tenor to take down any Berserksrs on the ship and pin Dagur to the deck. Tenor was chomping at the bit, itching to take out the bad guys. He was so excited that he forgot to tell his rider where he was going.

Back at Dragon's Edge Hiccup and Toothless landed at the base. They found it empty and silent. Hiccup became concerned. He had just found out something about Heather. He had found his father's chief seal on Heather's ivory horn. He flew it to Berk and asked Stoic about it. Stoic told him something quite surprising. Now Hiccup wanted to tell Heather before she did anything rash. The base was abandoned, he knew he was too late. Toothless spotted Serenity outside her yurt, Tenor was nowhere in sight. Hiccup followed his gaze.

"Maybe she knows where they went," he said. They went over to the yurt. Serenity was in her chair fiddling absentmindedly with the Dragon Eye. The first thing they noticed was that she was very upset.

"Serenity, what's wrong?" Toothless asked.

"Where's Tenor?" Hiccup asked at the same time, not realizing that Toothless had said something.

"I don't know," Serenity sobbed. "Tenor doesn't tell me where he's going anymore. He loves fighting more that me."

"You saw them leave?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes," said Serenity. "With Heather and Windshear."

"Thanks," Hiccup said. He turned and headed for the stables. Toothless stayed behind. He nuzzled Serenity

"We'll find him," he said. "I'm sure he doesn't love fighting more than you. I think he's fighting because he loves you. He wants to keep you safe from Dagur." Serenity took a deep breath. "He didn't mean to worry you, of that I'm certain." He reached into his saddlebags and pulled out a spare tail fin. He handed it to her. Serenity put the Dragon Eye down and accepted the tail fin. She used it to wipe her tears away. Hiccup came back with a scroll.

"They went after Dagur," he said. He got on Toothless and they took off. Serenity leaned back in her chair, the Dragon Eye on her lap. She watched Toothless fly away. She felt so alone and uncared about. She curled up into a ball and just cried.

The riders found Dagur's fleet. Heather, Astrid and Tenor came at them from behind. Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Twins hovered in front of Dagur's ships just out of his reach. The ships fired their chains at them but missed. The dragons shot fire at the ships and also missed. Stormfly, Windshear, and Tenor landed on the side of Dagur's ship. The two riders dismounted and Tenor followed them onto the deck quietly. Tenor scanned the deck for Berserkers. Dagur was oblivious to the intruders, as the other riders were taking up all his attention. He was getting frustrated. Berserkers wondered about the ship. Astrid and Heather hid behind boxes and barrels, Tenor kept to the shadows. Heather gave him the go ahead. Tenor crept up on the closest Berserker. He bit him on the arm, killing him instantly and silently. There came a few more Berserkers and Tenor killed hem just as easily. Finally, Dagur was the only one left. Tenor prowled closer to him. The riders continued to distract him. When Tenor was close enough he let out a roar and pounced on Dagur, pinning him to the deck.

"I wouldn't move if I were you," Tenor hissed. Heather and Astrid came out of their hiding place, as did Stormfly and Windshear. Heather marched up to Dagur and pointed her switchblade ax at his throat.

"What are you waiting for Tenor? Kill him," Heather ordered. Tenor opened his mouth to fire.

"No, Tenor don't," Astrid said. "Heather, you agreed on a capture mission."

"I changed my mind," Heather said. "Dagur didn't just capture my village." Tenor turned his attention to the two riders.

"So, you have no problem killing dragons according to Hookfang," he said. "But you're squeamish about killing other humans." He felt Dagur try to break free and dug his claws into him.

"You have no problem killing humans but you do have problems killing dragons," Astrid shot back.

"I've killed dragons before," Tenor said. "I kill anything that threatens my rider, or my king and queen."

"Kill him Tenor," Heather said. "Then we can all go home safe."

Tenor turned back to Dagur. He opened his mouth again, exposing his venomous teeth. He slowly lowered his head towards Dagur's throat. Dagur looked scared. Suddenly Hiccup and Toothless landed on the deck.

"Stop," Hiccup shouted. "Tenor don't kill him." Tenor snarled in frustration. Heather turned on Hiccup. Tenor spotted another ship heading their way.

"Why would you stop me?" Heather asked. Hiccup pulled out the ivory horn and showed Heather the seal.

"This is my father's chief seal," he said. "My father gave this to Asvald the Agreeable as a gift for his new born daughter." Heather took the horn, lost for words.

"So what are you saying?" she said.

"I'm saying that Asvald the Agreeable is your father," said Hiccup. "And he's also Dagur's father, he's your brother." They all looked at Dagur, who also looked surprised to hear this. Tenor dug his claws deeper into his flesh.

"Heather you can't kill him," Hiccup said. "He's the only family you have left." Heather didn't move, nor did Tenor. At that moment the other ship pulled alongside Dagur's. Berserkers stormed onboard. Tenor knocked out Dagur, then launched at the other Berserkers. The riders got on their dragons, Heather among them. They watched Tenor fight the Berserkers. Within three minuets all forty Berserkers from the other ship lay dead at Tenor feet. He joined the others.

"That will give Dagur a good scare," he said. He then shot the wenches on the deck and the sail of both ships.

"Good job Tenor," said Hiccup. They spread their wings and took off.

They left the fleet far behind. Hiccup and Toothless led the way back to the outpost. Tenor flew slightly separate from the others. Windshear watched him the whole time. He didn't look at her but could feel her eyes on him. She couldn't help but find him impressive. She only wished she could be his mate, he was everything she wanted. From the look on his face, he still hadn't gotten over being rejected. She decided to make amens before they moved on.

When they got back the sun was setting. Tenor flew to the yurt. Serenity was still in her chair, still curled up into a ball. Tenor nudged her and she lifted her head and looked at him. Her eyes were red and puffy, she had been crying.

"Oh Serenity, I'm so sorry," Tenor said quietly. "Are you okay?"

"I think so," Serenity said, sniffing. "How are you?"

"I'm okay," Tenor said. "I always feel good when I'm part of a team."

"You got to be part of a team?" Serenity said. "That must have been nice." Tenor nuzzled her face and she hugged his head.

"I'm sorry I have to keep leaving you like this," he said. "I assure you I won't do it too often."

"You have a job to do," Serenity said. Tenor gently touched her face with his paw, being careful not to scratch her.

"Re and Aurora gave already me a job," he said. "To look after you and that's what I'm going to do." Serenity hugged his head again, gently stroking his neck.

"I love you Tenor," she said. Tenor pulled back slightly when he heard Windshear coming. Serenity stretched out slightly.

"Sorry am I interrupting?" Windshear asked.

"No you're not," Serenity said. "I'll give you two a minuet." She got up and went inside. Tenor looked at the silver dragon.

"I hope I didn't hurt you too badly," she said. Tenor sat on his haunches.

"No, not too badly," he said. "I've never been treated so nicely by a female before, except Aurora."

"Well, like I said; they don't know what they're missing," said Windshear. "And when you find her, she'll be so lucky." Tenor lowered his head sadly.

"If," he corrected. "If, I find her." Windshear walked up next to him and nuzzled his shoulder.

"You're going to find her," she said. "I know you will." Again Tenor looked like he didn't believe it.

"Thanks," he said nonetheless. "And thanks for being my friend. I don't have many, nor does my rider."

"Really?" said Windshear.

"She has dragon friends, but no human friends," Tenor said. "We're basically using each other as a crutch." At that moment Serenity came back out. She had splashed cold water on her face. She sat back in her chair. Windshear moved towards the base, then turned around. She smiled at the two of them.

"I have to find Heather," she said. "She plans to take off soon."

"You're leaving?" Tenor asked. Windshear nodded.

"Will you come see us off?" she asked. "As friends?" Serenity and Tenor looked at each other.

"Sure," Serenity said. She mounted her dragon and followed Windshear towards the stables.

They found Heather packing her saddlebags. She smiled when Windshear joined her. She strapped her saddlebags to Windshear's back. Astrid came up to them.

"So, I guess you're leaving," she said. Heather turned around.

"I am," she answered.

"Why?" asked Astrid. "You don't have to be alone anymore. It's safer here, and I'm here."

"I know," said Heather. "But I have a lot I have to figure out." She smiled and the two girls hugged. "Thank you Astrid, it was nice to have a friend again." Then she turned back to Windshear. The silver dragon was turned to Tenor.

"I hope you both find the love you're looking for," she said.

"Thanks Windshear," Serenity said.

"So, you don't have any friends to fly with?" Windshear asked.

"Well, I did have one," Serenity said. "long time ago. He was my best friend." Windshear looked surprised.

"Where is he now?" she asked, afraid of the answer.

"He was taken by the sea when we were only twelve," Serenity said. "I travel because I'm trying to distract myself from that."

"I'm very sorry," Windshear said. Serenity gave a sad smile and stroked Tenor's neck.

"Come on Windshear, it's time to take off," Heather called. Windshear nudged Serenity's hand. The dragon healer stroked her snout. Then Windshear turned to Tenor. She nuzzled him, then gave his snout a quick lick. Tenor blushed and bashfully pinned his ears back. Windshear joined her rider and Heather mounted her. They turned and took off towards the setting sun. Hiccup and Astrid watched them fly away.

"I'm sorry Astrid," Hiccup said. "I know you two were very close friends." Astrid put an arm around his shoulders.

"But I still have you," she said. Serenity turned Tenor around and flew back to their yurt, Tenor had finally found some hope.


	12. The Next Big Sting

**The Next Big Sting**

Hiccup had dragged his fellow riders and their dragons to a near by island. Serenity and Tenor were among them. They were confused as Hiccup hadn't told them the reason for this. They landed on the island on the tallest peak.

"Okay what is it you have to show us way up here that you couldn't show us back at the outpost?" asked Astrid, speaking everyone's mind.

"I wanted to show you my latest invention," Hiccup said. He turned to Toothless and bent over something. He fiddled around for a few minuets, then he turned back to his fellow riders.

"I give you Dragonfly 1," he said proudly. He held what looked like a giant, red, moth. They all looked at it blankly.

"What is it?" asked Snotlout.

"It's a flight suit," Hiccup explained, waving it back and forth.

"Um, Hiccup I don't think I need to remind you that we already have flying dragons," said Fishlegs. "Why would we need a flight suit?"

"If we fall off our dragons we'll need to be able to stay airborne until they can catch up with them," Hiccup said as he strapped the wings to his back.

"I've seen you fall off a lot," Tenor said. "And Toothless managed to catch you every time." Toothless crooned in agreement.

"Still it's always good to be prepared," Hiccup said. "In case Toothless becomes injured mid flight," He went to the edge of the cliff.

"Are you sure about this Hiccup?" asked Astrid.

"Of course I'm sure," said Hiccup. "Look there's an updraft, perfect." Tenor stretched out one of his wings to test the wind, it was weak.

"He's going to crash," he said. Hiccup ran to the edge and jumped off, opening the red wings. He hovered for several seconds, then fell towards the water below. Toothless spread his wings and dived after him. He grabbed his rider and they both splashed into the water.

Several minuets later the two of them were back on the cliff. Hiccup made adjustments. Then he put the wings on again. He jumped off the cliff, and fell. Toothless caught him second time. When they were back on the cliff Hiccup made more adjustments. Astrid turned to Tenor.

"Just out of curiosity, why isn't it working?" she asked.

"Several reasons," said Tenor. "The wings aren't flexible and he keeps mistiming his jump. A dragon's wings are able to adjust to the wind." He flapped his wings to keep them from cramping up. Just then Hiccup finished and put the wings back on.

"Ok this time I know for sure where I went wrong," he said. "I mistimed my jump." He walked to the edge of the cliff. Toothless readied himself to dive after Hiccup. Hiccup jumped of the cliff, opening the wings. At first he fell towards the water. Then the wind opened the wings up more and carried Hiccup through the air, over the water. Everyone on the cliff were taken aback when they spotted Hiccup actually flying. Serenity turned to Tenor.

"Did he just invent human flight several decades early?" she asked. She remembered Queen Aurora predicting that humans would one day invent machines that could carry them through the air.

"I think he just did," Tenor said. "But with those wings he will have trouble turning."

Sure enough Hiccup saw a huge wall right in his path. He tried turning but the wings wouldn't obey him.

"Okay, I need to work on the steering some more," he said. Then he called for Toothless. The Night Fury took off and flew as fast as he could towards his rider. He managed to catch Hiccup yet again, they both fell into the water. They got out. Hiccup's flight suit was damaged.

"Thanks for the rescue bud," Hiccup said. Toothless spat a stream of water at him. The other riders got on their dragons and flew down to them. From the air Hiccup looked like a battered up moth. They all landed.

"Okay that's enough," Astrid said. Tenor circled overhead. Suddenly they heard the sound of a dragon in distress.

"Guys, something about that call sounds familiar," said Snotlout. They all got on their dragons and took off.

They flew over the island following the sound. The sun was starting to go down. A few minuets later they found the source of the sound. It was an adolescent Speed Stinger. It was laying on its side. It looked up at the riders as they flew overhead.

"What's that little guy doing out here?" asked Fishelgs. "And in the daytime. Speed Stingers are nocturnal dragons."

"There are exceptions," Tenor pointed out. Hiccup looked down at the Speed Stinger. The little dragon got to his feet and tried to walk. Almost at once he fell over crying in pain.

"Actually I think he might be hurt," Hiccup said. "We have to help him. We can't leave him here to predators."

"Or to starve to death," Serenity added. They all landed around the Speed Stinger. He tensed up, eyeing them all. He swung his his tail back and forth. Hiccup noticed that Serenity was unhooking her medical bag.

"Um, Serenity I wonder if you would let me take care of this one," he said humbly. Serenity paused for a moment, then secured her bag again.

"Go ahead," she said. "But at least let me talk to him, find out his name for you."

"Sure," Hiccup said. Serenity dismounted and quietly approached the Speed Stinger.

"What's your name Speed Stinger?" she asked in Dragontongue. Naturally the little dragon looked surprised.

"My name is Velocira," she said.

"Pleasure to meet you," Serenity said. "You don't have to be afraid, these guys are here to help you." Velocira looked at the riders again. She seemed doubtful but not threatening. Then she nodded. Serenity quietly went back to Tenor.

"So, what's his name?" asked Fishlegs.

"Her name is Velocira," Serenity said.

"Oh, it's a female?" said Astrid. Serenity nodded. She got back on Tenor.

"I'll see you all back at base," she said. She clicked the reins and Tenor took off.

They flew back to Dragon's Edge and landed next to their yurt. Serenity dismounted and sat in her chair. Tenor laid beside her. It was times like this, when the island was quiet, when Serenity let her mind wonder back to the fist twelve years of her life. She remembered hanging out with Chris and being the best of friends. Those were the happiest years of her life. She let her mind go back to them, until she fell asleep. Tenor watched her until she dozed off.

The riders returned with Velocira. They went right to the arena. Tenor spread his wings and joined them. When he arrived he found Velocira in a cage, her broken leg had a splint on it made out of two pieces of Dragonfly 1. She looked all around, slightly scared. When she saw Tenor she lightened up.

"Prime Minister! Can you get me out of here?" she asked. "My pack will be worried when they don't find me where they left me." Tenor turned to Hiccup.

"What's the cage for?" Tenor asked.

"She got jumpy," Hiccup said. "I put her in a cage to keep her from stinging anyone." Tenor quickly told this to Velocira. She suddenly looked sad.

"I won't sting anyone I swear," she said. "I want to be healed by the time Red Fin comes looking for me,"

"Is that your alpha?" Tenor said. Velocira nodded.

"He's also my uncle," she said. "He won't be happy about any of this."

"Well, I'll just tell him I found you and took you to my allies," Tenor said. Velocira nodded.

"Or he might just sting you and take me with him," she said. "My uncle is very quick and clever. He doesn't care who knows it."

"Yeah, well, he's never met me," Tenor said smugly. "When is he coming?"

"As soon has he finds a safe place for us," Velocira said. "Now can I please get out of this cage?" Tenor unlatched the cage door and Velocira stepped out. The riders stepped back. Velocira jumped slightly.

"Don't mind them," Tenor said. "They mean you no harm." Velocira limped around the room. Suddenly Ruffnut moved too quickly and startled her. Velocira jabbed Ruffnut with her stinger. Half of her body went limp. Hiccup looked at Tenor. The hybrid smirked.

"She's all yours," he said. "Good luck." He spread his wings and flew back to Serenity.

Over the next few days Hiccup and Fishlegs helped Velocira walk again. The splint did it's job. All the while Hiccup found time to work some more on his flight suit. He watched the dragons take off and turn to get an idea of where he went wrong. He tested it out more and failed some more. On his latest test he went to the cliff that held Serenity's yurt. Both Tenor and Serenity were dozing off, oblivious to what was happening. Toothless was standing nearby. Hiccup adjusted the wings, then leapt off the cliff. The winds failed to pick up his wings and Toothless dove after him. He caught his rider and flew back up to the top, by that time Serenity was awake.

"Still can't fly?" she asked.

"I know I'm going to get it," Hiccup said. He then looked at her, thinking. "You know a lot about dragon wings don't you?"

"I do," she said. "I know quite a lot about a dragon's whole skeleton."

"I could sure use your help," Hiccup said. Serenity adjusted her hat.

"A dragon's wings come from the shoulder, not the backbone," she said. "The shoulder muscles are very strong, strong enough to hold a dragon aloft. Dragons have a very similar skeleton to humans, with a few extra limbs."

"Please enlighten me," Hiccup said interested. Serenity beckoned Toothless over.

"Well they have a skull, backbone, and ribcage like humans," she said. "They also have a shoulder bone, thigh, foreleg, ankle, and heel. They even have hands and finger bones."

"On their front legs?" Hiccup assumed.

"Nope," Serenity said. She spread one of Toothless's wings out as far as it would go. Toothless allowed it.

"Look very carefully at this wing," Serenity said. "Pretend the webbing isn't there." Hiccup looked at the wing for a long time.

"Oh, I get it," he said. "A dragon's wings are their hands."

"Just elongated and webbed," Serenity said. "The wind only does half the work, they do the rest. So if you want the flight suit to work, you're going to have to attach the wings to your wrists."

"Thanks Serenity, come on bud," Hiccup said. Toothless followed his rider back towards their hut. Serenity leaned back in her chair. Tenor woke up and stretched. He had been listening to everything, he had the talent of eavesdropping in his sleep.

"It's nice that my medical knowledge finally became useful," Serenity said. Tenor yawned. Then he changed the subject.

"Serenity you may not know this, but you've been talking in your sleep," he said. She looked at him.

"What have I been saying?" she asked.

"You call out for Chris," Tenor said. "You begged me to come back. You tell me not to go fight Dagur."

"Oh," Serenity said, putting her hands over her face and nose. "I said that out loud?" Tenor shifted slightly.

"Come here," he said, lifting his wing. Serenity got off her chair and sat on the ground next to him. He draped his wing around her shoulders, pulling her close. Serenity felt like a child; she used to cuddle with either Ruby or Aurora when she was upset or lonely. Tenor laid his head on her lap and she stroked his forehead.

"Serenity, you love me don't you?" Tenor asked.

"Of course I love you," Serenity said.

"Then why won't you let me help you?" Tenor said.

"I didn't want you to think I was doubting you," Serenity said. "I know you don't like that." Tenor pulled her even closer.

"You can speak your mind," he said. "I won't be offended." Serenity heaved a huge sigh. She leaned her head on his shoulder.

"The last time I saw Chris, he told me he would come back," she said. "We were both quite sure of that too. Then he was lost at sea and I never saw him again. I don't want that to happen to you." She could feel the tears roll down her face. "Every time you go out to fight I worry that I'll never see you again."

"Oh, that makes perfectly sense," Tenor said. "I understand but you didn't have keep this from me. I'm your friend." Serenity hugged his head.

"That you are Tenor," she said. "I'll ease up more often." Then she buried her face into his warm, scaly shoulder and just sobbed. Tenor curled around her and held her close.

"I miss him Tenor," she said after a while. "I miss him so much it hurts." Tenor didn't say anything. Eventually she fell asleep, safe in his embrace.

A few days later Velocira got used to being around humans. Fishlegs put her through a few exercises to help her leg heal faster. She was limping less and less everyday. Fishlegs began counting down the days until the splint came off. The other riders stayed well clear of the Speed Stinger, especially Ruffnut and Snotlout. Snotlout kept trying to convince Hiccup to take Velocira back to where they found her so the rest of her pack could find her. Hiccup wanted to keep the Speed Stinger for a short while and train her. When she wasn't going through her exercises, Velocira was put in her cage where she wasn't happy. The other dragons kept her company. Little did they all know that Velocira's uncle and his pack were dashing across the ocean, coming to find their lost lamb.

One evening Fishlegs and Meatlug walked Velocira out to his pools. Velocira wasn't limping at all.

"Today's the day little fella," Fishlegs said. "Today's the day your splint comes off. Meatlug would you do the honers?" Meatlug blasted the splint off. Velocira put weight on her leg and it felt fine. She looked up at Fishlegs and beamed.

"It feels better," she said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," said Meatlug. Velocira jumped up and down on the spot. Then she zipped off. Meatlug and Fishlegs hurried after her. She ran towards one of the pools. Fishlegs was about to stop her from falling in, when she began running in circles on the water's surface. Both Meatlug and Fishlegs stared in bewilderment. Then Velocira soon came to a stop in front of them, looking pleased with herself.

"How did you do that?" Meatlug and Fishlegs asked in unison. Velocira put a foot forward. They looked at it and saw a thin webbing between her talons.

"Oh, I see," said Fishlegs. "You can't fly and you need to cross the ocean somehow, you adapted." Velocira chirped with pride. She ran on the water again.

"Come on we should tell Hiccup," said Fishlegs. Velocira turned to Meatlug.

"When do I get to go home?" she asked. "My uncle will be worried about me."

"We'll get you home soon," Meatlug said. Velocira hopped onto her back behind Fishlegs. Meatlug took off and headed for the arena.

They put Velcoira back in her cage, much to her disappointment. Fishlegs ran to get Hiccup but found him asleep. Fishlegs decided to call it a night himself. Velocira preyed to Lord Draco that her uncle would find her soon and that no one would get hurt. Meatlug was nice enough to leave the cage door open but the arena door was shut tight. Velocira wondered around the space, not feeling the least bit exhausted.

Later the following day Fishlegs informed Hiccup on his discovery. Hiccup was making his updates on the flight suit. He had taken Serenity's advice and attached the wings to his wrists. When Hiccup heard Fishleg's discovery he was very interested. They ran and documented it in the Book of Dragons, which Hiccup had brought over from Berk. After that was done they both went to examine Velocira. But they got to the arena and found the cage empty.

"Where'd she go?" Fishlegs asked. "I locked this cage." Hiccup narrowed his eyes.

"I have an idea on where she is," he said. "Astrid will you go get Serenity and Tenor." Astrid flew over to the yurt. Serenity was sleeping in her chair, Tenor by her side.

"Serenity, Tenor, we need you," Astrid said. They both woke up and sat up.

"What's going on?" Serenity asked.

"Hiccup needs you to help us find Velocira," Astrid said. Serenity got to her feet, as did Tenor. Astrid got back on Stormfly and Serenity slowly got on her dragon. They took off and joined up with the other riders. Hiccup knew that Ruffnut and Snotlout had Dragonnapped Velocria. They flew back towards the island where they found the Speed Stinger. Hiccup noticed that Serenity kept nodding off.

"You okay Serenity?" Hiccup asked.

"I've not been sleeping too well," Serenity said. "I had just fallen asleep when Astrid woke me up."

"Oh, sorry," said Hiccup.

"It's okay," Serenity said. She drank out of her canteen and it woke her up more.

It took a good chunk of the day to reach the island. It was sunset by the time they spotted it. The riders began looking for Hookfang, Tuffnut was flying Barf & Belch. They had just spotted the Nightmare ahead, when he crashed down. The other riders landed next to them. Velocira had apparently stung Hookfang, paralyzing half his body.

"Dragonnapping Snotlout?" Hiccup shouted. "What were you thinking?"

"I wanted to get this dragon back to where we found it before something bad happened," said Snotlout. "There could be a whole bunch of those coming after us."

"She can walk now correct?" Serenity asked.

"Yeah I took the splint off last night," said Fishlegs.

"Then why not let her go back to her family?" Serenity asked. "When one of my patients is all healed up I let them go home." At that moment there came loud screeches in the distance. Everyone tensed up. Velocira looked excited.

"Maybe if we stay quiet they won't find us," said Astrid.

"You think dragons only rely on their ears Astrid?" said Tenor. Velocira jumped up and down.

"Uncle! Uncle! I'm here!" she called. With in minuets a hundred Speed Stingers surrounded them. The chatted amongst themselves. Then their alpha made his way to the front. He spotted Velocira.

"There's my niece," he said to his pack. "Secure the big ones and the humans." The Speed Stingers ran at the riders and their dragons. The dragons fought the Speed Stingers. Tenor and Serenity took off and circled the clearing. Velocira tried her best to block the attacks. Snotlout spotted her and grabbed her. He ran from the clearing. The Stinger Alpha spotted him.

"After him," he ordered. The Stingers obeyed and dashed after Snotlout.

Snotlout ran into the woods, the Speed Stinger under his arm. He ran into another clearing. At first it seemed to be empty.

"Gone?" he said. But then he heard chattering behind. "And that's because they were here from the start." He dropped Velocira and she ran off. The pack closed in on Snotlout, he was completely defenseless. Suddenly Velocira dashed between Snotlout and her pack, stinging three Speed Stingers on the way. Her uncle came to the front of the pack and looked at the three Stingers crawling about. He whirled at his niece and glared.

"What is the meaning of this Velocira?" he hissed.

"These humans saved my life Uncle," Velocira said boldly.

"You don't think we would have done the same?" Red Fin asked.

"Please don't hurt them Uncle," Velocira begged. "One of them is Draconian." The Stingers exchanged a glance.

"Which one?" Red Fin asked. Velocira looked up at the sky, she heard flapping wings. She saw Hiccup and Toothless and Serenity and Tenor.

"That one, on the hybrid," she said. Red Fin followed her gaze, as did the rest of the pack.

"Wow, she's pretty," said one of the Stingers.

"Shut up Raptor," Red Fin barked. Suddenly Toothless fired plasma blasts at the Stingers. They turned and ran off, Velocira ran after them.

They reached the coast. The other riders had caught up with them. Barf exhaled a huge cloud of green gas, then Belch ignited it. The Speed Stingers turned and ran off across the water. Red Fin stayed behind. Hiccup spotted him.

"We need to take out that Stinger Chief," he said to Toothless. They turned and sped towards Red Fin. The alpha readied his stinger. When they were close enough Red Fin jumped at them. Hiccup slipped his hands into loops on his flight suit, which was strapped to his back. He pulled out the wings and the wind lifted him off the saddle. Red Fin missed them by a mile. Toothless landed but Hiccup remained airborne. The wings went from his wrists to his ankles. Serenity's small lecture had worked; not only could Hiccup now stay airborne, he could also turn very easily and quickly. Red Fin fell onto the sand. He had not expected a human to spontaneously sprout wings and fly off. The riders all landed their dragons. Hiccup landed next to them. Velocira marched up to her uncle.

"Leave these humans alone Uncle," she said firmly. "They are good humans." Red Fin growled. Then he turned and followed his pack. Velocira turned to the riders and their dragons. She smiled at them. Hiccup approached her. He held his hand out to her, then hesitated.

"No, Velocira, you need to go back with your own," he said. Velocira looked sad. She turned and ran after her uncle.

"Thank you!" Tenor called after her. They heard a happy roar. They watched the Speed Stinger run off. Astrid stood next to Hiccup.

"Can you believe what she did?" said Astrid. "She helped us, over her own alpha."

"Why though?" asked Hiccup. "She was putting a lot at risk." They both turned to Serenity. She leaned back slightly in her saddle.

"Same reason Toothless didn't kill you when you released him," Serenity said. "Dragons know when a debt must be paid." She steered Tenor towards the sky.

"Thanks for helping me with my flight suit Serenity," Hiccup said. Serenity looked at him.

"You're welcome," she said. "I'm happier when I'm able to help." She clicked the reins and Tenor took off. The riders got back on their dragons and followed them. They headed back to Dragon's Edge.


	13. Total Nightmare

**Total Nightmare**

Hiccup and Toothless raced over the island. They flew through a waterfall and around a tall cliff. The outpost came into view. They flew over Serenity's yurt. They did a sharp turn and headed for the arena, the dome was already starting to close. Toothless put on a burst of speed and headed for the cave underneath the arena. They flew up the cave shaft and into the arena, the dome was inches away from closing. Toothless thrusted his wings back and flew through the dome door just as it closed.

"Good job bud," Hiccup praised. Toothless crooned with pride. They landed on top of the dome. Fishlegs clapped his hands.

"Right, our turn Hookfang," said Snotlout. Hookfang scuttled over.

"Snotlout no one's beaten the dome except for Hiccup," said Fishlegs.

"Until now," said Snotlout.

"Hey I wonder if Tenor could beat the dome," said Astrid.

"I'll go ask him," said Fishlegs.

"Fine, then it's our turn," said Snotlout. Fishlegs got on Meatlug and flew to the yurt. Tenor was out front sleeping in the grass. Serenity was nowhere in sight, most likely inside. Fishlegs dismounted and approached Tenor.

"You sleep a lot Tenor," Fishlegs said.

"I'm nocturnal Fishlegs, surely you know that," Tenor said with out opening his eyes. "What do you need?"

"I have a challenge for you Tenor," said Fishlegs. This woke Tenor up. He jumped to his feet.

"A challenge you say?" he said.

"Yeah come to the arena and Hiccup will explain it," said Fishlegs. Tenor went inside the yurt to get his rider. He came out with her a few minuets later. Serenity rubbed the sleep from her eyes and mounted her dragon. They all flew back to the arena, the dome was open again. Hiccup had dismounted.

"So what is this challenge?" Tenor asked.

"It's a drill, not really a challenge," said Hiccup. Tenor looked disappointed. Serenity dismounted.

"Tell me all the same," Tenor said. Hiccup pulled out a map of the island. Tenor looked at it.

"Take one lap around the island, up the middle, then head for the dome," Hiccup said. "When the outpost is in your sight we'll start to close the dome. You have to weave through these sea stacks, go into the cave, up the shaft into the arena, then out the dome before it closes." Tenor looked excited.

"This is going to be fun," he said. He went back to Serenity and she mounted him. Tenor took off and headed for his course. He explained everything to Serenity on the way. She seemed up to the challenge. She held on tight as Tenor sped up as he reached the starting point.

"Don't wear yourself out," Serenity said. Tenor nodded. He thrusted his wings back. He flew at high speed around the island. He kept his wings pinned to his sides. They sped around the island and came back to the starting point. Tenor did a sharp turn and headed up the middle of the island. Tenor went even faster. They were heading for the waterfall.

"Prepare to get wet," Tenor said. He flew through the waterfall. They came out soaking wet. Tenor went even faster as he sped around the corner. The arena was in his sight. He wove through the sea stacks going faster than he ever had in his life. He turned and headed for the cave. He shot up the shaft and into the arena. He zipped out the dome and it was only half way shut. Tenor flew in and out of the arena five times before closed. He finally landed and Serenity dismounted.

"Show off," said Stormfly. Tenor looked at her with a hurt expression.

"It's a new record," said Fishlegs.

"Good job Tenor," said Hiccup. Tenor smiled with pride. Serenity took off her sopping hat and shook the excess water off and put in a patch of sunlight to dry it off. Then she hugged him.

"I didn't know you could go so fast," she said.

"Well, I was holding back," Tenor said.

"You really don't like to lose do you Tenor?" said Astrid. "A show off like you never likes to lose." Tenor's face suddenly hardened into a pained expression.

"I take up this challenge, perform my very best, and this is what I get, bullied like all the other times," he said. "Serenity, I now see why you hate competition." He turned and flew off.

"Tenor come back," Serenity called after him. But Tenor continued flying. Suddenly he dove into the water and vanished.

"What was it I said?" asked Astrid.

"Every female he tried to be friends with called him a show off," Serenity said. "And they never spoke to him again, especially after he performed something like that. Usually the females threw him challenges just so they could make fun of him. They acted all nice and friendly until he finished his challenge; then they'd laugh at him and call him a show off and a push over."

"Why did he take up this challenge then?" asked Astrid.

"I suspect he thought this time was going to be different," Serenity said. She picked up her hat and brushed it off. Snotlout mounted Hookfang..

"Our turn now," said Snotlout. They took off and headed through the course. Astrid turned to Serenity.

"Surly being called a few names shouldn't be enough to push him into the shadows," she said.

"That's not what put him in the shadows," Serenity said. "It was much, much worse."

"What happened to him?" asked Astrid. "All that was said was that he was bullied." Serenity sat on a rock.

"The dragons back home did horrible things. Name calling was just the beginning," Serenity began. "They would trick him like I just said. They would steal things from the castle galleries and made it look like he did it. Unfortunately the king and queen believed them and locked him in the dungeons. That happened eleven times. A female would invite him to the beach with her but when he got there he would find that female with her mate. They would bind him and harass him. Then they left him behind until Re and Aurora found him. That happened twenty times. The worst part was that the bullies always got away with it."

"Really?" said Astrid. "He didn't tell anyone?"

"He did, only no one believed him," Serenity said. "Not even the king and queen. Re and Aurora were the only ones who believed him. Re's father was very much like Stoic only worse. He turned a blind eye to Tenor's troubles because Tenor had no proof. The king wanted solid evidence that Tenor was being harassed."

"So, the king just let it happen?" Astrid said.

"Yes," Serenity said.

"What was the breaking point?" Astrid asked. Serenity put her hands over her mouth and nose.

"When he was almost killed," she said. "All the young dragons dragged him to the Northern Beach. They all harassed him, at the same time. They forced fed him buckets full of mashed up eels. He couldn't kill any of them or the king would have had him executed. By the time Re and Aurora found him the next day, he was unconscious. Had he been there another hour he would have been dead."

"And still the king did nothing?" said Astrid.

"He didn't see it happen, so he couldn't bring them to justice," Serenity said. "Tenor felt so alone. He locked himself in the castle vaults for several years. Re became king and convinced him to come out of the vaults. Then gave him the title of Prime Minister. Re made him a promise that he would never let anything like that happen again. However he's still badly emotionally scarred by it all."

"Oh," said Astrid. "Poor guy."

"He'll be okay," Serenity said. "I hope."

Meanwhile Snotlout and Hookfang raced up the middle of the island. All was going well until Hookfang heard a call coming from the forest. He paused, ignoring Snotlout's protest.

"Help! Someone!" the call said. Hookfang wanted to answer but figured he should finish the challenge first. He sped up and he flew through the waterfall. The dome started to close when the riders saw them. Serenity was still sitting on the rock watching the dome close. She was worried about Tenor, he hadn't returned the whole time. She watched Hookfang fly towards the cave. The dome was about to close. A few minuets later they heard a loud bang from inside. The Twins quickly opened the dome. When the riders rushed in, they found Snotlout but no Hookfang. This worried them.

Hookfang flew back to where he heard the cry for help. He looked around for the source. He spotted a tall rock ahead.

"Hello!?" he called.

"Hello!" came the answer. "Down here." Hookfang followed the voice to the base of the rock. He landed and fold his wings. Then a female Monstrous Nightmare emerged from a cave. She was black, purple, and orange. She looked relieved.

"Who are you?" Hookfang asked.

"My name is Lamia," she said. "What's yours?"

"Hookfang," said Hookfang. "What's your trouble?"

"My eggs, they're in danger," said Lamia. "My mate's already gone for the year. But his rival Pyro has been trying to kill them. I can't defend them, Pyro's reached his titan wing level."

"That's serious," said Hookfang. "Well, I'm not at titan wing level but I will do what I can."

"What if that's not enough?" Lamia asked. "He's really stubborn."

"I have friends who can help as well," Hookfang said. "And I know the Dragon King and Queen personally." Lamia tilted her head.

"What kind of friends?" she asked. "Tell me about them."

"Some of them are human," said Hookfang. "I have a rider named Snotlout. The rest of them are dragons. There's a Deadly Nadder named Stormfly, a Zippleback named Barf and Belch, a Gronkle named Meatlug, and a Night Fury named Toothless. They all have riders."

"A Night Fury you say?" Lamia asked. "That's rare."

"Indeed," said Hookfang.

"I saw him fly overhead earlier," said Lamia. "Then another one that looked very strange."

"That's Tenor, he's half Night Fury," said Hookfang. "Even rarer."

"Oh," said Lamia. "What's his other half?"

"Blackfang, you've heard of them?" said Hookfang.

"Yes," said Lamia. "And that mixed with Night Fury makes a very dangerous dragon."

"Yes," said Hookfang. "Now tell me about this Pyro."

"He started attacking a few days after Flamer took off," said Lamia. "Pyro comes from a nest in a tall mountain. All the dragons there are at titan level. He and Flamer fought over me last year."

"When is he back?" asked Hookfang.

"Tomorrow," said Lamia.

"I'll be here," said Hookfang.

"Okay, but if you're going to fight him, you have to do it alone," said Lamia. Hookfang nodded. At that moment the trees rustled. Lamia turned and scuttled back into the cave. Hookfang turned to face the new comer, growling. He burst into flames. Then Snotlout stumbled out. Hookfang calmed down at once.

"There you are Hooky," said Snotlout. He approached his dragon. "You look hungry. Let's get you back to Dragon's Edge." He mounted Hookfang and they took off.

Back at the outpost Serenity had returned to her yurt to wait for Tenor. Before long he came out of the water. He had caught fish to take his mind of his suffering, it hadn't really worked. He landed next to the yurt soaking wet. Serenity was sitting in her chair thinking about her lost friend. Tenor noticed her lonely eyes. He gently nudged her.

"Hey, you still alive?" he asked.

"Yes," said Serenity. "Just lost in thought."

"Is it Chris again?" Tenor asked laying next to her chair. Serenity nodded silently.

"I really love him Tenor," she said sniffing. "I want him back."

"I'm sure he feels the same way about you, wherever he is," Tenor said. "I may be mysterious but that doesn't mean I don't know anything. I know a lot more than you think."

"Like what?" Serenity asked.

"I know what he did for you, when you two were kids," Tenor said. "Chris wasn't the one who knocked over the pedestal that held the Cup of Life. Nor did he break anything else."

"He made me promise not to say that it was me," Serenity said. "He always took the blame for me. The only thing I could do was not take it for granted or abuse it. I just wish I got an opportunity to pay him back."

"He was a very good friend to you," Tenor said. "For that reason I know he's missing you, very much." Serenity stroked his snout absentmindedly. "He would be blown away by how pretty you are now." Serenity beamed.

"I wonder what he looks like now," she said. "Is he fully grown now, or is he still a boy."

"Lord Draco does believe in eternal youth," Tenor said. "That's why dragons stop aging when they reach maturity. You have dragon's blood in your veins so you will stay looking this beautiful for the rest of time." Serenity considered, she had finally stopped crying.

"What excitedly do you dragons see that the humans don't?" she asked. "The dragon's I've met treat me so nicely, way before I reveal what I can do. Humans almost never look me in the eye and want to be in my space."

"Dragons have very different minds to humans," Tenor said. "We see you as a wonderful, kind, gentle person with a dark past. Humans just see you as a delicate object with no feelings or a mind of your own."

"Oh, I see," Serenity said.

"You have no idea how lucky you are," Tenor continued. "Aurora and Draco have learned a lot about the human race. Women have no control over there lives, and won't for several decades. When they do, humans will be flying to the moon."

"That's sad," Serenity said.

"Re's giving you more freedom than women will have for a long time," Tenor said.

"And I'm grateful to him and Aurora," Serenity said. "I've told them many times." Tenor laid his head on her lap.

"You're such a good girl," he yawned. Serenity smiled and stroked his face. Tenor purred at her touch. She scratched behind his ears and he basically melted.

Later that evening the riders fed their dragons. Snotlout grabbed a mackerel and went over to Hookfang. The Nightmare was watching the door of the stables. He didn't even flinch when Snotlout handed him the fish. His mind was elsewhere.

"Hey Hookfang are you listening?" said Snotlout. He threw the fish at Hookfang. The dragon turned on him growling and threw the fish back at Snotlout. Hookfang turned back to the door. Snotlout joined his fellow riders.

"You all saw that right?" he yelled. "Hookfang is not being himself."

"What makes you so sure?" asked Hiccup.

"He wouldn't obey me on the flight today," said Snotlout. "He ran away, growled in my face, and he just spat fish at me." They all looked at each other.

"Actually that pretty much sums up your relationship with Hookfang," Hiccup pointed out. Snotlout glared at him. He picked up the mackerel and threw it to Hookfang. The dragon whirled around glaring at Snotlout. He used his tail to flick the fish back at Snotlout. Then Hookfang flew to the top of the room and began banging his head on the ceiling. Hiccup came up to Snotlout.

"Don't you say I'm crazy Hiccup," said Snotlout.

"Look Snotlout no one knows your dragon like you do," said Hiccup. "If you think there's something wrong with him, then lock him in a pen for the night to keep him from hurting himself." Snotlout relaxed a bit. When Hookfang calmed down Snotlout put him in his stall. He closed the door and locked it. Hookfang settled down for the moment. He had to safe his strength for the fight against Pyro.

He slept for a short while. Then he woke up and began working on a way to get out. Before long he had an idea.

"Tenor! Tenor! are you out there!" he called through the window. Tenor was the only dragon that didn't sleep in the stables, as he was too worried about Serenity.

"Tenor?! Sir!?" Hookfang roared. "Please I need your help!" Just then the stable door opened and Tenor walked in, he didn't look happy.

"What is it Hookfang?" he asked sternly. He stood in front of Hookfang's locked door.

"Can you get me out of here sir?" Hookfang asked. "There's a female Nightmare out there who's trying to protect her eggs from a bully. I promised I would help her."

"A female?" Tenor said. "What's her name?"

"Lamia," said Hookfang. "She's defending her eggs from her mate's rival, who is at titan wing level." Tenor looked surprised.

"He must be powerful then," he said.

"He comes from a nest where all the dragons are at titan level," said Hookfang said. "Look, can you get me out of here or not?" Tenor considered.

"If you tell anyone it was me, I'll deny it," he said finally. With that he unlocked the cage door. Hookfang crawled out and exited the stables.

"Thanks friend," he said. Tenor just nodded. Hookfang spread his wings and took off. Tenor went back to the yurt. He went inside where Serenity was sound asleep. He laid on the floor beside her bed and watched over her.

The next day, Snotlout went to the stables with a huge tuna. He went into the stables to check on Hookfang but when he got there he found Hookfang gone. Snotlout ran to find his fellow riders. He found them by Serenity's yurt saddling up their dragons. Serenity was saddling Tenor. Astrid had already apologized to him, as did Stormfly. He felt better after that. Serenity had just gone inside when Snotlout ran up to them panicking.

"Hookfang's gone," he announced.

"Then this might be more serious than we thought," said Hiccup. "We'll help you look for him." Snotlout beamed and instantly jumped onto Tenor's back. The black hybrid went wild trying to buck him off. Hiccup grabbed Tenor's bridle and calmed him down.

"Settle down Tenor," he said. "The sooner we find Hookfang the sooner we'll get Snotlout off your back." Tenor gave a loud snort and tossed his head angrily.

"Please Tenor," said Hiccup.

"Fine," Tenor snapped. "But this better not happen again."

"It won't," said Hiccup, going over to Toothless. Tenor opened his wings and flew off at high speed. The other riders mounted their dragons and followed. Serenity finally came out to find everyone gone. She looked to see all the riders and dragons flying away. She gave a sad sigh and sat in her chair.

"One day I'll find someone who won't leave me," she said to herself. She curled into a ball. She let her mind go back to her happy years when Chris was alive.

The riders and dragons flew over the island looking for Hookfang. Tenor was livid. He kept his eyes open for Hookfang. The minuet they found him Tenor planned on throwing off Snotlout. They were approaching the rock Hookfang went to the day before. The air was suddenly filled with dragon roars.

"That sounded like a Nightmare," said Astrid. They turned their dragons in the direction of the sound. They landed in a clearing at the base of a tall rock. Hookfang was in the middle of it, growling defensively. The riders dismounted and entered the clearing. Tenor followed them. When he was out in the sunlight he reared onto his hind legs like a wild stallion so suddenly that Snotlout slid onto the ground with a thud. Tenor then spread his wings and flew off. Hookfang glared at the riders. Just then Lamia came out of the cave. She looked at the riders curious.

"Are these the humans?" she asked.

"Yes," said Hookfang. "Snotlout is my rider."

"Oh, how nice," said Lamia. "And their dragons. Where's that hybrid you talked about?"

"He flew off a little while ago," said Hookfang. "He seemed awfully mad."

"Oh," said Lamia. "Then it's probably a good thing he flew off. I wouldn't want to get on the bad side of such a dragon."

"Don't be so quick to judge him," said Hookfang. "Tenor's a great dragon. In fact me coming to your aid and fighting this bully for you, that's something he does everyday. He's really nice, just troubled." Lamia considered.

"You're sure?" she asked.

"Tell you what," said Hookfang. "Come meet him tonight. He's nocturnal." Lamia considered again.

"Alright," she said. "Pyro didn't show up today, so I don't see why not."

"Great," said Hookfang. "You can also meet his rider, she's really pretty."

"I'm looking forward to meeting her," said Lamia. At that moment the two dragons saw the riders fly off. Snotlout rode on Toothless with Hiccup.

"Oh dear, is your rider mad at you?" asked Lamia.

"Snotlout can do without me for a while," said Hookfang. He laid down on the grass.

"When can we go see these two strangers?" asked Lamia.

"I'll give them a few hours," Hookfang said. "Let him be alone with his rider."

"Good idea," said Lamia. She went back inside the cave and Hookfang dozed off.

Tenor landed next to the yurt. Serenity was in her same position. Tenor laid beside her and gave her hand a quick lick. She sat up and looked at him. She hugged his head.

"Where did you go?" she asked.

"I'm sorry Serenity," said Tenor said. "I had to go help find Hookfang." Serenity gripped tighter.

"Without me?" she asked.

"Snotlout was insistent," Tenor said. "He just jumped onto my back and Hiccup talked me into carrying him until they found Hookfang." Serenity sighed and opened back up. She put Tenor's head in her lap.

"Tenor, I don't think they like me anymore," she said quietly.

"What makes you think so?" Tenor asked.

"They hardly speak to me lately," Serenity said. "They turn me away when I offer to help, and they're always taking you away from me."

"I'm sure they didn't mean anything by it," Tenor said. "Do you want me to talk to them." Serenity shook her head.

"Just don't leave me again," she said. "I hate being alone."

"I won't," Tenor said. "I promise. Next time Hiccup asks for me I'll tell him I'm not going without you." He licked her face, she giggled.

"Let me make it up to you," Tenor said. He gestured his head towards his saddle. Serenity smiled and mounted him. Tenor spread his wings and took off. They flew over the outpost and the ocean. Serenity gave him plenty of rein and let him go where he wanted. Suddenly they spotted the other riders returning. Tenor turned and headed for the outpost. They landed next to the riders. Serenity stayed in the saddle, to prevent Tenor from being stolen again.

"Hey Serenity, sorry for stealing Tenor," said Hiccup. "It was importuned."

"So importuned that you didn't need me," Serenity said, it wasn't a question.

"I won't be so easily stolen next time," Tenor warned. "If you want me, you have to take both of us or neither of us."

"Understood," said Hiccup.

"So what was so urgent anyway?" Serenity asked.

"Hookfang's found a female," said Snotlout getting off Toothless. "He chased me away."

"I could've been a lot worse Snotlout," said Astrid.

"You don't know anything," Snotlout snapped. "I know that dragon; I know what's in his heart and I know what's in his head. He'll come back to me, he always does." Suddenly Fishlegs began fidgeting uncomfortably. They all looked at him. He began making irritating sounds that made the dragons' ears hurt.

"Out with it Fishlegs!" Tenor roared. "Before I lose my temper!"

"Hookfang wouldn't follow his training, he ran away twice, and he pushed Snotlout away," said Fishlegs. "All the symptoms are there. I think Hookfang's gone ferrel."

"What's that mean?" asked Ruffnut.

"He's gone wild," Tenor explained. "The Call of the Wild is irresistible."

"Have you ever had to let a dragon go back to the wild Serenity?" asked Astrid.

"Yes," Serenity said. "When Ruby found Harmony he went back to his hometown. I stayed at the castle to give them their space. I still ride him now and then. I'll do the same for Tenor when he finds his mate." She stroked Tenor's neck.

"And then what?" asked Hiccup. Serenity shrugged.

"I don't know," she said. "I'll cross those skies when I get to them." Tenor let out a casual growl.

"You can get down you know," said Astrid. "We won't take Tenor away from you again." Tenor and Serenity exchanged a glance. Serenity gripped the saddle tightly. Then she turned him around and they took off.

They landed back at their yurt. Serenity dismounted and began taking Tenor's saddle off. She was very quiet.

"Would you really let me back into the wild?" Tenor asked.

"Yes," Serenity said. "All you have to do is ask and you're free."

"But what about you?" Tenor asked. "You'll be all alone."

"I'll be okay," Serenity said. "I've been alone before." Tenor growled in disapproval.

"Then you better get use to having me around," he said. "Because I'm not going to let you be alone." He gently nuzzled her face and she stroked his muzzle. His breath smelled like a campfire. Then he knocked off Serenity hat.

"Careful, I love that hat," Serenity said.

"More than me?" Tenor asked, amused.

"Well, it does have your scales on it," Serenity said. Tenor chuckled and nuzzled her again. Serenity slipped off his bridle and slung it on her shoulder. She turned and put it with the saddle. Tenor laid down on the grass. Serenity put her hat on top of her saddle and sat next him on the ground. Tenor curled around her and she snuggled close to him.

"Just so you know," Tenor said. "I'm already living in the wild, you're just living in it with me."

"I've never looked at it like that," Serenity said. "I guess it's because you dragons are so civilized." Tenor chuckled again. Then he licked her face. She giggled and hugged his snout. He rested his head on her lap. They fell asleep shortly afterwards.

The next day Snotlout went to find Hookfang. He was going to try and get his dragon back. He planned on breaking up his relationship with the female. He had basket with him. He reached the clearing and spotted Hookfang giving Lamia a salmon. She ate it gratefully. Then Hookfang flew off to watch for Pyro. Snotlout emerged from the trees. Lamia looked at him suspiciously.

"I got something for you," Snotlout sneered. He threw the basket at her. It crashed opened and a large electric eel slithered out. Lamia roared in surprise and backed up. Hookfang heard this and flew down to her. He landed between Lamia and the eel. He smacked the eel back towards Snotlout with his tail. Then he turned to Lamia.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you," said Lamia.

"I'm sorry about that," said Hookfang.

"Don't worry about it," said Lamia. "It didn't touch me." Hookfang turned on Snotlout.

"I've had it with you Hookfang," Snotlout snapped. "It's time to choose, her or me." Silence ensued. Hookfang looked from Snotlout to Lamia then back again.

"You can go back to him if you want to Hoofang," said Lamia. "I won't object."

"I will," said Hookfang. "Once Pyro is long gone." He looked back at Snotlout and backed towards Lamia. Snotlout looked surprised, then he looked angry. He stormed off. The two dragons watched him go.

Back at the outpost the other riders were grooming their dragons. They were talking quietly amongst themselves. The dragons were also talking in their own tongue. Serenity and Tenor were flying around Dragon's Edge. The riders were planning on joining them, so they weren't alone in the sky. Tenor did many acrobats in the air, while Serenity held on tight. It was quite the roller coaster ride. They waited for the other riders.

After a few minuets Hiccup and Toothless came flying towards them. The other riders didn't follow which gave Serenity a sinking feeling. Hiccup pulled alongside them.

"Let me guess you guys won't be joining us today," Tenor said, getting the same sinking feeling.

"Snotlout's threatening to give up riding because he no longer has Hookfang," Hiccup explained. "We're going to get him back in the saddle."

"Very well," said Serenity. She steered Tenor after them and they landed back at the outpost.

The riders had wrangled up a few Monstrous Nightmares. They hoped Snotlout would pick one to ride. But when Snotlout saw them, he showed no interest in any of them. He seemed awfully depressed which was rare for Snotlout. He looked at each Monstrous Nightmare and didn't want them. The riders turned them loose.

"If you don't want one of those maybe you'll like a different species," said Hiccup. "Like a Timberjack, or a Typhoomerang, or a Boneknapper. There are plenty of dragons out there."

"Thanks but no thanks," said Snotlout. "Hookfang can't be replaced. If I can't ride him, then I don't think I'll be a dragon rider anymore." They all gasped.

"I'm going to go tell him goodbye then sail back to Berk," said Snotlout. He left before anyone could protest.

"We have to convince him to ride again," said Hiccup when Snotlout was long out of earshot.

"Serenity, when Tenor finds his mate will you give up riding?" asked Fishlegs. Serenity considered.

"I might," she said. "For a while at least. But I won't give it up for good, and I certainly won't give up dragons. They are my family after all." Tenor purred.

"What if you were asked to live without them?" asked Astrid.

"Re wouldn't like it," Serenity said. "He wants me to have a dragon near me at all times."

"That's a bit overprotective," said Astrid.

"I can tolerate it," Serenity said. "It shows that he cares." Tenor crooned in agreement.

"You wouldn't need so much protection and supervision if you learned to fight," said Fishlegs.

"Re doesn't want me to fight," Serenity said.

"And you do what he says?" asked Hiccup.

"He's my king, of course I do what he says," Serenity said.

"He made these rules for you without asking what you want?" asked Astrid.

"You're making him sound like a bad guy," Serenity said. "Re's a good king and a good friend. He made these rules for me and I follow them without complained. In return he lets me live in his castle, he gives me food and water, he, Aurora, and Tenor were there for me when I lost Ruby and have been there for me ever since. They made these rules so that I don't get hurt."

"We need to go after Snotlout," Hiccup said, changing the subject. "Try to make him see sense." The riders mounted their dragons and flew after Snotlout.

Snotlout meanwhile had reached the clearing where Hookfang and Lamia were located. When Snotlout emerged from the shrubs he saw Hookfang laying down clearly winded.

"Hookfang!" Snotlout cried. He was about to run to him when Lamia came out. Snotlout glared at her.

"I knew you were bad news," Snotlout shouted at her, drawing his sword. They were about to run at each other when Hookfang came round. He saw the commotion before him.

"Stop!" he shouted. "Lamia I think Snotlout deserves an explanation." Lamia stopped and considered. She looked from Snotlout to Hookfang. She sighed and moved out of the way. Snotlout lowered his sword and went into the cave. He saw three eggs on the cave floor.

"Eggs?" he said, surprised. "What's going on here?" Just then there came an angry roar from above. Everyone looked up to see a third Monstrous Nightmare flying towards them. This Monstrous Nightmare was twice the size of Hookfang and Lamia. It was dark red with bright red markings. It landed with a thud and roared.

"Hello again Lamia," he sneered. "Did you miss me?"

"Leave me alone Pyro," Lamia snapped.

"I will be glad to," said Pyro smoothly. "Hand over those eggs and I'll be on my way."

"You're not getting anything," Hookfang snapped back. Pyro glared at him.

"You stay out of this rookie," he growled. "This is not of your business."

"It is now," said Hookfang. Suddenly Pyro was hit by several plasma blasts. This surprised him. Everyone looked up to see the other riders and dragons circling the clearing. Pyro turned and flew off. The others landed in his space.

"What are you all doing here?" asked Snotlout. "Not that I'm complaining."

"We've come to convince you not to quit," said Hiccup.

"Snotlout what's going on?" asked Astrid.

"She's got three eggs in there," said Snotlout, pointing at Lamia. "Hookfang has been helping her defend them from that big jerk dragon."

"They must be the eggs of a rival," said Fishlegs. "The Titan Wing won't stop until they're destroyed."

"So Hookfang didn't go ferrel?" said Snotlout hopeful.

"Apparently not," said Fishlegs. "He's been try to establish dominance of the titan wing." Snotlout stroked Hookfang's snout proudly. Suddenly they heard the titan wing roaring overhead. They looked up and saw him circling. Snotlout mounted Hookfang.

"Snotlout what are you doing?" asked Astrid.

"You heard Fishlegs," said Snotlout. "That dragon won't go away unless its dominated by Hookfang."

"Snotlout that thing could tear you to pieces," said Astrid.

"Astrid I think we've seen before that a smaller dragon can easily take out a larger one as long as they know what they're doing," said Tenor.

"Just promise that no matter what happens to us that you will make sure nothing happens to those eggs," said Snotlout.

"We promise," said Hiccup. Hookfang spread his wings and they flew up to meet the titan wing. Pyro faced them growling.

Snotlout steered Hookfang in circles around Pyro, shooting fire at him. Pyro was larger than Hookfang but that meant he couldn't turn as fast. Hookfang and Snotlout had worked this out and were using this the their advantage. Pyro was starting to get dizzy. He spat fire at Hookfang and missed. Then Snotlout spotted the arena in the distance, an idea had just come to him.

"Time for a round of Beat the Dome," he said. Hookfang relayed this down to the other riders.

"He said they're going to try to beat the dome," Serenity translated.

"But he's never beaten the dome," said Fishlegs.

"Well he knows what he's doing," Tenor said. They all took off and headed for the arena. They waited there for Hookfang and Snotlout to show themselves. Serenity and Tenor circled the outpost, Serenity had her medical bag at the ready.

Hookfang and Snotlout led Pyro though the course the riders used when they tried to beat the dome. Hookfang maneuvered easily. Pyro, however, kept smacking in to things as he couldn't turn as quickly. When they went through the waterfall Pyro fumbled when the powerful water hit him. But Pyro still chased Hoofang through the course. The dome was soon in their sight. The riders pulled the lever and the dome began to close. Snotlout steered Hookfang through the sea stacks, Pyro hit every singe one. Then Snotlout steered Hookfang towards the cave under the arena. The dome was almost shut. Hookfang shot up the shaft, he heard Pyro hit the side of the shaft. The titan wing chased them into the arena, the dome closed before Hookfang got out. The riders watched anxiously as they heard loud roars and saw jets of fire burst out of holes in the side of the dome. Suddenly they heard a loud thud, followed by a roar of triumph. Fishlegs quickly opened the dome. When the door opened they saw the titan wing on the ground winded, Hookfang was standing on top of him the winner. Pyro looked at Hookfang, fear in his eyes.

"I'm sparing your life," Hookfang growled. "Leave this island now, and I better never see you round here again." Pyro nodded. Hookfang let him go. Pyro spread his wings and flew away as fast as he could.

As he left he spotted Tenor and Serenity next their yurt, he also saw the Draconian flag flying on the roof. He flew down and landed next to the yurt. Serenity and Tenor looked over at him.

"Hello Draconians," Pyro said.

"Hello," said Serenity. "What's your name?"

"I'm Pyro," the titan wing said. "What are you names?"

"I'm Serenity and this is Tenor," Serenity said. "He's the Draconian Prime Minister."

"What's that?" Pyro asked.

"If the citizens of the Draconian towns and cities report to their town leaders," Tenor explained. "The town leaders report to me, and I report to the king and queen. I also help them come up with solutions to problems."

"That's quite interesting," Pyro said.

"Thank you," Tenor said, not caring if that was meant to be a compliment or not. "You're a titan wing."

"Yes sir," said Pyro. "All the dragons in my nest are at titan wing level."

"Why haven't I heard of them?" Tenor asked

"Ooh, we live kind of far," Pyro said. "The dragons there haven't really had time to travel."

"I see," said Tenor. Pyro turned to Serenity.

"You're very pretty," he said. "The humans I've seen around here have rough looking skin, acme all over their faces, some are missing limbs, not to mention they have lots of hair. But you're very clean and a lot kinder than the others."

"Thank you," said Serenity. Pyro lowered his head to her level and she stroked his snout. He purred when he felt how soft her skin was. He leaned into her hand, it was so gentle. After a while he pulled back.

"You're very different from the others," he said.

"I'm only half human," Serenity said. "I have dragon's blood in my veins, literally." Pyro tilted his head in curiosity. He wormed his snout under her hands again. She petted him quietly. Then he pulled back before he got too carried away.

"Well I should get going," he said. "While I still have the energy."

"It was nice meeting you Pyro," Tenor said.

"It was nice to meet you too," Pyro said. "Um, Tenor I wonder if Serenity would like a ride on my back. To the last sea stack then you can have her back, and I'll be on my way."

"It's fine with me," Tenor said. He looked at Serenity.

"Sure," she said. "I'd be glad to." Pyro seemed pleased. He lowered his head to the ground and Serenity climbed onto his back. She held onto his horns as the two dragons went to the edge of the cliff. They spread their wings and took off.

They flew over the ocean far from the island. They didn't say much as they flew closer to the last sea stack. When they got there, they landed on top of it. Serenity dismounted. He wormed his snout under her hands a third time. She chuckled softly.

"You have no idea how good that feels," Pyro said. "Now I wish I'd introduced myself to you earlier instead of focusing on that fight."

"Yet another reason I hate fighting," Serenity said. "You don't get to appreciate the finer things in life."

"Very true," Pyro agreed. "Well thank you for the company." Serenity smiled and kissed his muzzle. He gently nuzzled her then stepped back and prepared for lift off. He turned to Tenor.

"Take good care of that one, she's something special," Pyro said. Tenor draped his wing around his rider.

"Oh we do," he said. "She's the king's most valuable possessions." Pyro nodded in agreement. He then spread his wings and took off. Tenor and Serenity watched him go. When he was long out of sight Serenity mounted Tenor and they flew back to Dragon's Edge to watch Lamia's eggs hatch.


	14. Epilogue (Optional)

**Epilogue**

Pyro was approaching his nest. It was a tall mountain several miles from the ocean. It was surrounded by smaller hills and plenty of greenery. Dragons buzzed around it casually. Pyro had been flying for a week. He was happy to be home but also nervous. His alpha wasn't going to be happy about him taking off like he did. He figured he'd find her and apologize first thing. He flew into the mountain. The center of it was hallow and very spacious. Smaller caves and tunnels branched off the center at various levels. There was plenty of room for many dragon to fly around. Pyro suspected the mountain used to be a volcano. He flew to the alpha's cave and landed at the entrance. He announced his arrival. The alpha dragon approached him. She was a Night Fury, bigger then the one Pyro had seen back at Dragon's Edge. She had honey golden eyes, she did not look happy.

"Pyro, where in Draco's name have you been?" she snapped.

"I am sorry Windwalker," Pyro said. "My rival's mate laid eggs and I..."

"Enough," Windwalker interrupted. "I don't need to hear the rest. I didn't unlock your titan wing just so you could attack the first helpless dragons you meet."

"Yes ma'am," said Pyro. "I won't happen again."

"If it does don't even think about coming back," Windwalker said. Pyro nodded in understanding. Just then Windwalker's rider, Chris, came up to see what the argument was about.

Chris was a young man that had been with dragons since he was a baby. He had short black hair, tan skin, large ears, and brown eyes. He wore a dark colored shirt, black trousers, black leather boots, and a black leather trench coat with seal fur on the sleeve cuffs. On his waist were his twin swords. Windwalker had brought him to her nest when he was twelve years old. The two of them had met while trapped in a prison camp. They had helped each other, and countless other prisoners, escape. While on route to the mountain, Chris told Windwalker he had been separated from his family by the stormy sea. He had been rescued by sea dragons, then left all alone. That night still haunted him. He made a deal with Windwalker; if he helped her nest defeat a powerful enemy, then she would take him back to his family.

"Hey, Pyro," Chris said.

"Hello Chris," Pyro said.

"Where were you all this time?" Chis asked. Windwalker sat on her haunches, calming down.

"I was on an island in the archipelago where the vikings live," said Pyro.

"Vikings?" said Windwalker. "I've heard of vikings, they're not friendly to dragons."

"The ones on that island were," Pyro said. "They rode dragons just like you Chris." Both Chris and Windwalker lit up at this news. They exchanged a glance.

"There are other dragon riders?" Chris asked. Pyro nodded.

"Come in and tell us all about them," said Windwalker said. The three of them went into the cave, which was the largest in the nest. They sat around the campfire.

"Well, there were seven dragon riders on that island," Pyro began. "I don't know their names. There was a blond girl on a blue Nadder, a husky boy on a brown Gronkle, two identical humans on a Zippleback, a black haired boy on a red-orange Monstrous Nightmare, and a shaggy boy with one leg on a Night Fury." Windwalker's ears perked up.

"A Night Fury?" she said.

"Yes," said Pyro. "Male, slightly younger than you ma'am. The seventh rider was very different. She told her name but I can't remember for some reason. She looked older than the others. Wow, was she beautiful. I remember her the most."

"Describe her," said Windwalker.

"Well she was slightly shorter than Chris," Pyro said. "Light golden brown hair, emerald green eyes, wore green and blue and a black hat. She had a thin scar on her cheek, barely visible." Chris sat up with a furrowed brow.

"She sounds familiar," he said. "What else can you remember about her?" Pyro racked his memory.

"Well her skin was very soft," he said. "Oh yeah, and she could speak Dragontongue like you Chris." Chris looked surprised.

"Serenity," he said almost to himself.

"Yeah that's right," Pyro said remembering suddenly. "Wait, you know her?" Both dragons looked at him.

"She's my childhood friend," Chris said. "It's been several years since I saw her last."

"Oh, this is the girl you talk about all the time," said Windwalker. Chris nodded.

"Well, if she's yours I would consider you very lucky," said Pyro.

"What was she like?" Chris asked.

"She was very kind," Pyro said. "Very sweet, and so gentle."

"She hasn't changed very much then," Chris said. "She always was very lovely. She's all grown up now I bet." Pyro nodded with a smile.

"Do you think you could find that island again?" Chris asked.

"No, sorry," said Pyro. "I don't even remember the direction to go." Chris's face fell. Windwalker nuzzled him sympathetically.

"Thank you Pyro, you may go," she said. Pyro nodded once then left the cave. Chris's mind was in the past with Serenity. He could remember everyday he spent with her, and longing to see her again.

"You okay?" Windwalker asked. Chris sighed.

"I wish she was here," he said.

"I know you do," said Windwalker said. "But this place is too dangerous for her."

"Do you think she misses me?" Chris said.

"I know she does," Windwalker said. "At least you know she's alive."

"That's true," Chris agreed. "But the problem is that she doesn't know that I'm alive." He closed his eyes and let his mind going back in time. Windwalker knew what he was thinking.

"You're going to see her again," she said strongly. "I promise you that. You'll see all your family again." Chris laid down on his pile of animal furs. Windwalker warmed her spot and laid next to him. The cave became silent. Chris soon fell asleep, hoping to at least see Serenity in his dreams. He was out in seconds.

When he opened his eyes he was in a dark room. It was large and round. Moonlight streamed in through the windows. Chris didn't recognize the room. He looked around. His eyes rested on a bed next to the wall. There was a window next to it. The light from the moon illuminated the person in the bed. It was Serenity, Chris would know her anywhere. She was laying on her back. Her face was washed with silver light. Chris remembered one of the fairy tales they used to read when they were kids, Sleeping Beauty. He remembered reading about the prince finding the fair maiden in her enchanted sleep and waking her up with true love's kiss. Chris approached her and sat on the side of the bed. He gently touched her face, she felt so real. He leaned over and gently pressed his lips to hers. He pulled back slightly after a few minuets. She didn't wake but she was still breathing.

"Don't lose hope Serenity," he whispered. "We'll be together again, someday. I love you." He kissed her one last time. Then he got up and left.

He woke up back in Windwalker's cave. He sat up thinking about the dream. Windwalker woke up and saw him.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I saw her," Chris said. "She was sleeping. She was very beautiful." Windwalker nuzzled him. He hugged her head.

"She must be some girl," Windwalker said. "You've been dreaming about here ever since I brought you here."

"She is," Chris said. "I love her."

"You'll see her again," Windwalker said. "Before you know it." They were quiet as they went back to sleep.

"Good night, Serenity," Chris whispered as he drifted off.

* * *

Back on Dragon's Edge, Serenity woke up in her yurt. It was dark except for beams of moonlight coming through the windows. She looked over at Tenor. He had decided to sleep that night instead of hunting and fishing.

"Tenor," she called to him. Tenor opened his eyes and sat up.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I saw him Tenor," Serenity said. "He was sitting here on the bed." She put her hand on the spot where Chris had been. Tenor got to his feet and went up to her.

"What did he do?" he asked. Serenity thought back.

"He kissed me," she said. "Like in Sleeping Beauty." Tenor nuzzled her face. She stroked his snout.

"You miss him," he said. Serenity nodded. "And I'm sure he misses you."

"I love him," Serenity said.

"I'm sure he's watching you right now," Tenor said. "And you'll one day join him in the Dragon's Heaven."

"That's something to look forward to," Serenity said. "But for now, You'll have to do." Tenor chuckled.

"You should go back to sleep," he said. "It'll be good for you." Serenity smiled at him and kissed his snout. He laid down next to the bed. Serenity laid back down. Tenor fell asleep before she did. She slowly drifted off.

"Good night, Chris," she whispered as her eyes closed.


End file.
